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Page 1: By Design.pdf

Urban design in the planning system: towards better practiceby design

Page 2: By Design.pdf

Department of the Environment, Transport and the RegionsEland HouseBressenden PlaceLondon SW1E 5DUTelephone: 020 7890 3000Internet service http://www.detr.gov.uk/

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment7 St. James’s SquareLondon SW1Y 4JUTelephone: 020 7839 6537Fax: 020 7839 8475Email: [email protected]

© Crown Copyright 2000Copyright in the typographical arrangement and design vests in the Crown.

Design and Artwork by Tempo Graphic Design Limited

Extracts of this publication may be made for non-commercial in-house use,subject to the source being acknowledged.

Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to:The Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 1-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ.

Further copies of this report are available from:

Department of the Environment, Transport and the RegionsPublications Sale CentreUnit 8Goldthorpe Industrial EstateGoldthorpeRotherham S63 9BLTelephone: 01709 891318Fax: 01709 881673and branches of The Stationery Office

ISBN 0000000

Printed in Great Britain on material containing 75% post-consumer waste and 25% ECF pulp.Month 2000

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD 5

THE NEED FOR BETTER URBAN DESIGN 8

Purpose of the guide 8

Urban design 8

Place-making 9

The role of the planning system 9

Towards better practice 10

THINKING ABOUT URBAN DESIGN 14

Objectives of urban design 14

Aspects of development form 16

Objectives and development form brought together 17

Prompts to thinking 18

URBAN DESIGN AND THE PLANNING TOOLKIT 36

Understanding the local context 36

The development plan 42

Supplementary planning guidance 46

Development control 61

RAISING STANDARDS IN URBAN DESIGN 72

Proactive management 72

Collaboration 73

Developing the right skills 77

Design initiatives 79

Monitoring and review 80

APPENDICES 84

Checklists 84

- ‘is design working for you?’ 84

- ‘information requirements for a planning application’ 86

Glossary 88

Further reading 94

Some useful contacts 96

Acknowledgements 98

Image credits 99

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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FOREWORD

Good urban design is essential if we are to produce attractive, high-quality, sustainable places in which people

will want to live, work and relax. It is fundamental to our objective of an urban renaissance. We do not have

to put up with shoddy, unimaginative and second-rate buildings and urban areas. There is a clamour for better

designed places which inspire and can be cherished, places where vibrant communities can grow and prosper.

To achieve this we need to effect a culture change, and this guide is designed to help this process.

It provides sound, practical advice to help implement the Government’s commitment to good design, as set

out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 1 General Policy and Principles. It encourages those who influence and

shape development decisions to think more deeply and sensitively about the living environments being

created. It reinforces the call in the Urban Task Force’s report “Towards an Urban Renaissance” for earlier,

greater and better-informed attention to urban design.

The guide has been drawn up around a limited number of simple but compelling principles. We want to

draw out three in particular. First, good design is important everywhere, not least in helping to bring rundown,

neglected places back to life. Second, while the planning system has a key role to play in delivering better

design, the creation of successful places depends on the skills of designers and the vision and commitment

of those who employ them. Finally, no two places are identical and there is no such thing as a blueprint for

good design. Good design always arises from a thorough and caring understanding of place and context.

This Government showed its commitment to securing good urban design, when it created the Commission

for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) last year, and gave them the task of taking the campaign

for quality to the heart of Government and the outside world alike. CABE was therefore delighted to help

in the production of this guide. We hope it will prompt both experts and relative newcomers to the field

to think more deeply and carefully about the many complex issues that urban design is concerned with and

to translate those thoughts into exciting and creative responses to design challenges. We believe that if it

succeeds it will help to improve the quality of people’s lives.

This is what good urban design is all about. A guide such as this cannot achieve it by itself. We hope that

those who read it will be inspired by the message it contains and use its many suggestions to help them in

the vitally important task of improving the quality of urban design throughout the country.

Nick Raynsford MP Stuart Lipton

Minister for Housing, Chairman

Planning and Construction Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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section 1 The need for better urban design

THE NEED

FOR BETTER

URBAN DESIGN

Purpose of the guide

Urban design

Place-making

The role of theplanning system

Towards better practice

section 1

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THE NEEDFOR BETTERURBAN DESIGN

Purpose of the guide

The aim of this guide is to promote higher standards

in urban design. It does not set out new policy.

The Government’s policy for design in the planning

system is contained in Planning Policy Guidance

Note 1 General Policy and Principles (PPG1) and

expounded further in other PPGs. The challenge in

PPG1 is clear: “good design should be the aim of

all those involved in the development process and

should be encouraged everywhere”.

This guide will help to encourage better design and

is intended as a companion to the PPGs. But it is

not intended to be the last word, nor should it be.

It has been written to stimulate thinking about

urban design, not to tell the reader how to design.

The central message is that careful assessments of

places, well-drafted policies, well-designed proposals,

robust decision-making and a collaborative approach

are needed throughout the country if better places

are to be created.

The guide is relevant to all aspects of the built

environment, including the design of buildings and

spaces, landscapes and transport systems. It has

implications for planning and development at every

scale: in villages as well as cities and for a street and its

neighbourhood as well as regional planning strategies.

Its main audience is expected to be officers and

councillors in local authorities who guide and control

development. But the guide will also be relevant

to housebuilders and all those who promote new

development and apply for planning permission.

More widely, it will be of interest to anyone who

wants to see greater care taken in the design of

their neighbourhoods.

A striking fact is that many of the small developments

that can cumulatively change a place dramatically

are designed by people with little or no formal

design training. Raising standards of urban design

will depend in large part on whether the people

behind these projects make more use of suitably

qualified, skilled and experienced designers. It will

also depend, as envisaged in PPG1, on high standards

being set and upheld within the planning system.

Urban design

Urban design is the art of making places for people.

It includes the way places work and matters such

as community safety, as well as how they look. It

concerns the connections between people and

places, movement and urban form, nature and

the built fabric, and the processes for ensuring

successful villages, towns and cities.

Urban design is a key to creating sustainable

developments and the conditions for a flourishing

economic life, for the prudent use of natural resources

and for social progress. Good design can help create

lively places with distinctive character; streets and

public spaces that are safe, accessible, pleasant to use

and human in scale; and places that inspire because

of the imagination and sensitivity of their designers.

There are many benefits to be gained from thinking

coherently about the way places are designed. Some

are the traditional concerns of good planning, others

are relatively new. For example, ‘Secured by Design’

promoted by the Association of Chief Police Officers

has prompted greater attention to designing out

crime and the fear of crime. More recently, the

Urban Task Force led by Lord Rogers underlined

the importance of good urban design to an urban

renaissance. The Task Force’s vision of towns and

cities as places of opportunity and sustainable

growth is largely founded on design excellence.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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section 1 the need for better urban design

Urban design does not just concern one profession

or interest group. This was underlined in 1998 when

five professional institutes came together with other

organisations and set up the Urban Design Alliance,

finding a common purpose in working across their

individual disciplines. These professions – town

planners, landscape architects, surveyors, architects

and civil engineers – can all be powerful influences

for better urban design.

As the Urban Task Force pointed out, the best way

to promote successful and sustainable regeneration,

conservation and place-making is to think about

urban design from the start of the planning and

development process. Leaving urban design until the

end can make the planning process slow, frustrating

and a source of wasteful conflict, and is unlikely to

lead to the best outcome in terms of quality.

Place-making

Successful urban design requires a full understanding

of the conditions under which decisions are made

and development is delivered. Many factors determine

or influence the outcome of the design process and

the sort of places we make. Success, nowadays,

rarely happens by chance. It depends on:

l a clear framework provided by development plans

and supplementary guidance delivered consistently,

including through development control;

l a sensitive response to the local context;

l judgements of what is feasible in terms of

economic and market conditions;

l an imaginative and appropriate design approach

by those who design development and the

people who manage the planning process.

It is vital to bring these factors together. If policy is not

set out clearly for applicants, a proposed development

may conflict unwittingly with a local authority’s

aspirations for good design. If too little weight is given

to feasibility, the development may fail commercially.

If too little weight is given to local context, the

proposal may be opposed locally. If the design approach

is wrong, the site’s opportunities will be missed

and poor or mediocre development will result.

The role of the planning system

The planning system provides the means to

encourage good design, not just in conservation

areas and other attractive places, but everywhere.

Securing good design is central to good planning.

The appearance of proposed development and its

relationship to its surroundings are relevant to the

consideration of a planning application and PPG1

makes it clear that local planning authorities should

reject poor designs.

This guide looks at the ‘tools’ local authorities

have available within the planning system to help

deliver better design. The most important is the

local authority’s development plan. This should set

out the design policies against which development

proposals will be assessed. This guide considers

both what could be included in the plan and how

further explanation might be provided in

supplementary guidance.

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The Urban TaskForce, led byLord Rogers,emphasised theimportance of good design

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

The development control process is vital. The way

it is used determines whether and how the design

policies in development plans and supplementary

guidance are reflected and applied. The most

thoroughly developed design policies will achieve

little if they are ignored in the development control

process. As stated in PPG1, “applicants for planning

permission should be able to demonstrate how they

have taken account of the need for good design

in their development proposals and that they have

had regard to relevant development plan policies

and supplementary design guidance”.

Towards better practice

Using the planning system effectively to create

the conditions for better urban design requires

positive management, meaningful collaboration

and the right skills.

This guide offers suggestions to help create those

conditions. It does not attempt to define a single

blueprint for good urban design. Rather, as an aid

to understanding, it seeks to describe some of the

objectives of urban design. They relate to how

people use buildings and urban space, and what

they feel about the places they live and work in,

and visit. The objectives are not unique to this

guide and they could, and have been, described

differently. What is attempted here is simply one

description of what makes a successful place,

based on widely shared experiences. Underlying

it is the need to plan sustainable developments.

The objectives are supported by a series of

considerations that can act as prompts to thinking

about urban design. These prompts help to relate

the objectives to the form of development – layout,

scale, density, appearance and landscape. Achieving

a successful relationship between objectives and

development form depends on an intelligent

response to local conditions.

An aim of this guide is to encourage a move away

from a negative reliance on standards towards a

more positive emphasis on performance criteria.

Standards specify precisely how a development is

to be designed (by setting out minimum distances

between buildings, for example). Performance criteria

are the means of assessing the extent to which a

development fulfils a specific planning requirement

(such as maintaining privacy). Imaginative designers

can respond to performance criteria with a variety

of design solutions.

Ultimately, achieving good design depends on the

skills of the designer and the commitment to good

design of all those concerned with new development.

Better practice guidance cannot substitute for skilled

designers and their ability to analyse places, to

understand how they are used and experienced

and to design with flair and sensitivity.

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section 1 the need for better urban design

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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section 1 The need for better urban design

THINKING ABOUT

URBAN DESIGN

Objectives of urban design

Aspects of development form

Objectives and developmentform brought together

Prompts to thinking

section 2

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THINKING ABOUTURBAN DESIGN

Good urban design is rarely broughtabout by a local authority prescribingphysical solutions, or by setting rigidor empirical design standards butby approaches which emphasisedesign objectives or principles.

Objectives of urban design

Successful streets, spaces, villages, towns and cities

tend to have characteristics in common. These

factors have been analysed to produce principles

or objectives of good urban design. They help to

remind us what should be sought to create a

successful place. There is considerable overlap

between the objectives and they are

mutually re-inforcing.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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Objectives of urban design

CharacterA place with its own identity

Continuity and enclosureA place where public and private spaces are

clearly distinguished

Quality of the public realmA place with attractive and successful outdoor areas

Ease of movementA place that is easy to get to and move through

LegibilityA place that has a clear image and is easy to understand

AdaptabilityA place that can change easily

DiversityA place with variety and choice

To promote character in townscape and landscape

by responding to and reinforcing locally distinctive

patterns of development, landscape and culture.

To promote the continuity of street frontages and

the enclosure of space by development which

clearly defines private and public areas.

To promote public spaces and routes that are

attractive, safe, uncluttered and work effectively for

all in society, including disabled and elderly people.

To promote accessibility and local permeability by

making places that connect with each other and

are easy to move through, putting people before

traffic and integrating land uses and transport.

To promote legibility through development that

provides recognisable routes, intersections and

landmarks to help people find their way around.

To promote adaptability through development that

can respond to changing social, technological and

economic conditions.

To promote diversity and choice through a mix of

compatible developments and uses that work together

to create viable places that respond to local needs.

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section 2 thinking about urban design

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

aspects of development form

Layout: urban structureThe framework of routes and spaces that connect locally

and more widely, and the way developments, routes and

open spaces relate to one other.

The layout provides the basic plan on which all

other aspects of the form and uses of a

development depend.

Layout: urban grainThe pattern of the arrangement of street blocks, plots

and their buildings in a settlement.

The degree to which an area’s pattern of blocks and

plot subdivisions is respectively small and frequent

(fine grain), or large and infrequent (coarse grain).

Density and mixThe amount of development on a given piece of land

and the range of uses. Density influences the intensity of

development, and in combination with the mix of uses

can affect a place’s vitality and viability.

The density of a development can be expressed

in a number of ways. This could be in terms of plot

ratio (particularly for commercial developments),

number of dwellings, or the number of habitable

rooms (for residential developments).

Scale: heightScale is the size of a building in relation to its surroundings,

or the size of parts of a building or its details, particularly

in relation to the size of a person. Height determines the

impact of development on views, vistas and skylines.

Height can be expressed in terms of the number

of floors; height of parapet or ridge; overall height;

any of these in combination; a ratio of building height

to street or space width; height relative to particular

landmarks or background buildings; or strategic views.

Scale: massingThe combined effect of the arrangement, volume and

shape of a building or group of buildings in relation to

other buildings and spaces.

Massing is the three-dimensional expression of the

amount of development on a given piece of land.

Appearance: detailsThe craftsmanship, building techniques, decoration, styles

and lighting of a building or structure.

This includes all building elements such as openings

and bays; entrances and colonnades; balconies

and roofscape; and the rhythm of the facade.

Appearance: materialsThe texture, colour, pattern and durability of materials,

and how they are used.

The richness of a building lies in its use of

materials which contribute to the attractiveness

of its appearance and the character of an area.

LandscapeThe character and appearance of land, including its

shape, form, ecology, natural features, colours and

elements, and the way these components combine.

This includes all open space, including its planting,

boundaries and treatment.

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Aspects of development form

Urban design objectives are, by themselves,

abstract. They have an impact on people’s lives only

by being translated into development. The form

of buildings, structures and spaces is the physical

expression of urban design. It is what influences the

pattern of uses, activity and movement in a place,

and the experiences of those who visit, live or work

there. This guide sets out the most important

characteristics of the physical form of development

by articulating eight aspects. Together, these define

the overall layout of the place (in terms of its routes

and building blocks); its scale (in terms of building

height and massing); its appearance (as expressed

in details and use of materials); and its landscape

(including all the public realm, built and green spaces).

Objectives and development

form brought together

Effective design policy and design guidance is likely

to focus on how, in a particular context, development

form can achieve the urban design objectives.

The lists of objectives and aspects of form have been

produced in order to encourage writers of policy and

guidance and decision-makers to ask a series of

questions that go deeper than generalisations. These

questions should draw together urban design

objectives and aspects of development form. For

example, what form of layout would help to achieve

a particular objective in this context? What scale?

And so on, depending on what is considered relevant.

Guidance based on such systematic thinking will help

developers and designers by moving beyond simple

exhortations that, for example, new development

should be ‘in character’.

Ultimately, the development form which emerges

as a result of such a process is more likely to result

in better designed places. Readers of this guide are

encouraged to think in terms of objectives and

form as they consider its advice and decide how to

put it into practice in their own locality.

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section 2 thinking about urban design

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Prompts to thinking

The objectives are general and should be tailored

to the locality. This process can be helped by the

series of prompts to thinking about urban design

set out in the next section of this guide. The prompts

are unfolded under each of the urban design

objectives but they are closely related and are not

unique to the objective under which they appear.

Most importantly, they are prompts not rules. They

are not rigid formulae to be followed slavishly.

In any real situation, some of these prompts will

conflict and some will benefit some people more

than others. Good design results from consideration

being given to a wide range of concerns and the

creative resolution of potential conflicts. For example,

the height of a building might need to respond to a

general pattern of buildings of no more than three

storeys, to the potential of high density development

for making the most of public transport and creating

vitality, to the value of creating a landmark to

enhance views, to the need for a sense of enclosure,

to the opportunity to enhance safety by natural

surveillance, and to the need to avoid overshadowing.

Each of these might indicate a different height for

the building if they were to be considered separately.

In the real world, the planning and design process

must lead to a solution that takes all concerns into

account. This depends on, first, a judgement of

how important each is in the circumstances and,

second, design skills capable of rising imaginatively

to the demands of a difficult brief.

The prompts are followed by pointers to good design.

Some prompts can be explained more simply than

others, but this does not necessarily mean they are

less important. Nor is the list exhaustive: evolving

practice and special local conditions will always give

rise to new ways of achieving better urban design.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

A successful place brings peopletogether for different reasons

Responding to local character

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The list of urban design objectives is used as the

basis of the prompts which follow.

CharacterA place with its own identity

The positive features of a place and its people

contribute to its special character and sense of

identity. They include landscape, building traditions

and materials, patterns of local life, and other factors

that make one place different from another. The

best places are memorable, with a character which

people can appreciate easily.

Many of the places which we now think of as being

pleasantly distinctive grew naturally in response to

local circumstances. Where such distinctiveness is

ignored, new development may reflect only the

marketing policies or corporate identities of national

and international companies, the standard practices

and products of the building industry, or the latest

fashions among design professionals. Development

that responds sensitively to the site and its setting,

by contrast, is likely to create a place that is valued

and pleasing to the eye.

Designing for local distinctiveness involves the creative

reconciliation of local practices, on the one hand,

with the latest technologies, building types and needs,

on the other. Where there are no significant local

traditions, the challenge to create a distinctive place

will be all the greater. There is no reason why

character and innovation should not go together.

New and old buildings can coexist happily without

disguising one as the other, if the design of the

new is a response to urban design objectives.

Consider the site’s land form and character when

laying out new development.

– The three-dimensional shape of the landscape is

the basis for a development’s form (expressed in

its layout and massing). Natural features can help

give shape to a development and integrate it into

the wider area, contributing to a sense of place.

– Conserving a site’s natural features provides for

a better relationship between new development

and its environment. Natural features include

rivers and streams, wetlands, ponds and lakes,

hills, trees, wildlife habitats and rock outcrops.

– The local ecology can help to determine the

character and identity of both a development

and the place of which it is a part.

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Landscape is an important part of local identity

The modern building on the right responds to therobust character of traditional development inLondon Docklands

section 2 thinking about urban design

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Integrating new development into its landscape

setting reduces its impact on nature and reinforces

local distinctiveness.

– The layout, massing and landscape design of

development can be integrated successfully into

the wider landscape through using structure

planting, shelter belts, green wedges, and

(along natural features, roads, rivers and canals)

green corridors.

– Reflecting plant species that are common

locally will help planting in new development to

reinforce the distinct natural qualities of a place.

– Integrating new and existing development at

their boundaries maintains the continuity of

urban form and landscape.

Responding to the existing layout of buildings,

streets and spaces ensures that adjacent buildings

relate to one another, streets are connected and

spaces complement one another.

– The existing layout of an area reflects its history,

functions and connections with adjoining areas.

These can contribute to the interest and richness

of new development, and to its potential to

accommodate further change in future.

– Integrating existing buildings and structures into

new development can maintain the continuity of

the built fabric as well as retaining buildings of

local distinctiveness, historic or townscape merit.

– Narrow plot widths promote more active

frontages, increase the sense of enclosure and

allow higher densities. They are particularly

appropriate where they reflect existing

settlement patterns.

Responding to local building forms and patterns of

development in the detailed layout and design of

development helps to reinforce a sense of place.

– Local building forms and details contribute to

the distinctive qualities of a place. These can

be successfully interpreted in new development

without necessarily restricting the scope of the

designer. Standard solutions are rarely acceptable,

as they are unlikely to create a distinctive

identity or make good use of a particular site.

– Local building forms sometimes include distinct

housing types, boundary treatments, building

lines, roof slopes, window types and gardens.

– Responding to such forms and practices should

only be at the appropriate scale. The common

practice of inflating traditional domestic forms

to larger scales is generally to be avoided.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Skylines are sensitive to being obscured by highbuildings in front of existing buildings or having their

silhouette spoiled by high buildings behind them

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The use of local materials, building methods and

details is a major factor in enhancing local

distinctiveness.

– The scale, texture and colour of building materials

reflects an area’s special function and character.

– Every element of the street scene contributes

to the identity of the place, including sculpture,

lighting, railings, litter bins, paving, fountains and

street furniture.

– Development can be enhanced by reflecting

local art and craft traditions. These might relate

to elements such as ironwork, stained glass,

thatching, brickwork, masonry, walling and

paving. They should not be add-ons or after-

thoughts, but part of the design from the start.

The scale, massing and height of proposed

development should be considered in relation to

that of adjoining buildings; the topography; the

general pattern of heights in the area; and views,

vistas and landmarks.

– Relating new development to the general

pattern of building heights should not preclude

a degree of variety to reflect particular

circumstances. The character of townscape

depends on how individual buildings contribute

to a harmonious whole, through relating to

the scale of their neighbours and creating a

continuous urban form.

– On a sloping site, buildings that sit on the real

ground and step up the hill are more likely to

contribute to local character and avoid blank

walls at ground level than large monolithic slabs

that ignore the topography.

– The massing of development contributes to

creating distinctive skylines in cities, towns and

villages, or to respecting existing skylines. The

character of a skyline is composed of the

massing of blocks and the shape of roofs, as

well as by the height of buildings. A building

should only stand out from the background

of buildings if it contributes positively to views

and vistas as a landmark. Buildings which have

functions of civic importance are one example.

Continuity and enclosureA place where public and private spaces are

clearly distinguished

Development either contributes to making the

urban fabric coherent or undermines it. Urban

design is often a matter of adopting good manners,

recognising that every building is part of a greater

whole. Too many places have been blighted by

development which, even if its design has merits

seen in isolation, ignores its local urban structure

and creates bits of leftover space that contribute

nothing to the living village, town or city.

Successful urban space (including street space) is

defined and enclosed by buildings, structures and

landscape. The relationship between buildings on

a street, and between buildings and the street, are

the key to this. Buildings which follow a continuous

building line around a street block and contain the

private space within back yards or courtyards are

often more successful than individual buildings

that stand in the middle of a site. Buildings with

live edges, such as shopfronts, doors directly to the

street, or residential upper floors, enable people to

keep an eye on public space and make it feel safer.

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Creating a clearly defined urban edge

section 2 thinking about urban design

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Buildings that relate to a common building line

reinforce and define the street.

– Development that follows the boundary of the

street block can help to create an unambiguous

distinction between public and private spaces.

Respecting the historic or traditional building

line helps to integrate new development into

the street scene, maintains the continuous

urban fabric and avoids places of concealment.

– Continuous street frontages have a minimum

of blank walls and gaps between buildings.

Gaps between buildings reduce the degree

to which the street is overlooked, as do blank

walls (which also encourage graffiti). There are

places, however, such as some villages where

strong building lines are not a dominant feature

of the street scene.

– Projections and setbacks from the building line,

such as bays and entrances add valuable emphasis

without undermining the principle of continuity.

– Where buildings step back from the common

building line, they can create usable, attractive

spaces for pedestrians.

– Small setbacks can be used to soften the

impact that buildings and the public realm have

on each other.

The primary access to a building is best achieved

from the street.

– Building entrances that are clearly identifiable

contribute to the ease of understanding a place.

Entrances are where people move between public

and private space and create activity on the street.

– Direct access to the street from ground floor

premises (both housing and shops), rather than

by way of communal entrances, can reduce the

length of blank facades.

– Primary access to buildings by means of internal

courtyards reduces street activity and the live

connection between building and street.

– Access to private or communal back yards,

such as for parking, requires careful control

by means of gates or by overlooking.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Perimeter blocks can work at any scale

The scale of buildings should relateto the width of the street

Page 23: By Design.pdf

The front and backs of buildings are often used

in different ways, their design can reflect this.

– Designing the less private rooms (such as living

rooms) to face the street, particularly at the

ground floor, means the front of a building can

have a direct relationship with the street.

– More private rooms such as bedrooms and

bathrooms contribute little or nothing to

overlooking the street and tend to deaden

the street frontage.

– Buildings which present their backs to public

space (even on main roads) often present high

fences and walls to the street, reducing overlooking

and safety. A separate boulevard-type slip road

is a way of enabling buildings to front onto

main roads where access is restricted.

Clearly defining and enclosing private space at

the back of buildings provides for better privacy

and security.

– Back yards or inner courtyards that are private

or communally shared space are best enclosed

by the backs of buildings.

– The rear gardens of houses are more secure if

they back on to other gardens, rather than side

roads, service lanes or footpaths.

– Where shared (but not public) space is

provided in internal courtyards of high density

housing developments, the privacy of ground

floor rear rooms can be protected by private

yards or gardens. These need to be clearly

defined by walls or other boundary treatments.

Development can help define streets

and public spaces.

– Streets, squares, parks and other spaces can be

defined by appropriately scaled buildings and

trees. The height of buildings should relate to

the width and importance of the space

(including streets) which they enclose. The

massing and height of a building should also

have regard to the degree to which it will

overlook and overshadow other buildings.

– A building at the corner of a street block can turn

and close the corner visually. Shallower building

depths can be used at the corners of street blocks,

to allow sunlight and daylight to penetrate

without interrupting the continuous building line

round the block’s perimeter. Relaxing standards

(for minimum garden sizes and back-to-gable

distances) can reduce or even eliminate gaps

and blank walls when housing turns the corner.

This also increases privacy to the rear.

– Setbacks at upper floors reduce a building’s

impact at street level by allowing one or more

upper storeys to be less visible from the street.

Setting back can allow an increase in density

without an equivalent increase in the sense of

scale but when overdone it can result in over-

development and block light.

Defining the relationship between the fronts of

buildings and the street benefits their respective uses.

– Clearly indicating the extent of private ownership

of space round a building (by means such as

walls, fences, railings, gates, arches, signage and

paving) defines the boundary between public

and private space.

– Detailed design can make clear whether ambiguous

spaces (such as forecourts, malls, arcades and

covered streets) are public or private.

23

Buildings atPoundbury open

directly onto thestreet in the

traditional way

section 2 thinking about urban design

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Quality of the public realma place with attractive and successful outdoor areas

The success of the public realm depends on the

arrangement of its paving, planting, lighting,

orientation, shelter, signage, street furniture, and

the way it is overlooked, as well as the routes which

pass through it, and the uses in and next to it.

The public realm is made up of the parts of a village,

town or city that are available, without special charge,

for use by everyone. This can include streets, parks,

squares, arcades and public buildings, whether

publicly or privately owned. It provides the setting

not only for everyday life, but also for more formal

civic occasions. It is enlarged and enriched by

developments designed to welcome a broad range

of people, and by creative management. It is

restricted and impoverished by buildings and

spaces designed to keep out or discourage all but

a narrow range of users, and by over-regulation.

Anyone who is designing a building, or any other

structure, is helping to shape the public realm.

How attractive a public space is, and how well people

treat it, will partly depend on the arrangements made

for its management and on how easy it is to maintain.

A successful place has a system of open and

green spaces that respect natural features and

are accessible.

– Public spaces can be designed to create a variety

of type of space (path, street, square, park,

plaza, green), character of space (informal, civic,

recreational, commercial) and scale of space,

rather than being merely the parts of an area

that have not been built on. The provision of

public spaces should respond to the needs

established by the patterns of local economic,

social and cultural life.

– Well-designed public spaces are functioning

parts of a network of pedestrian routes,

providing for the needs of all users including

disabled and elderly people.

– Streets and street junctions that are designed

as public spaces (rather than just traffic routes)

are likely to be more convenient for all users.

– Street trees and street lighting can reinforce the

character and relative importance of a route.

– Making use of natural assets such as water,

riversides, slopes, trees and other planting helps

to create attractive spaces and encourages

biodiversity.

Ground floors occupied by uses that relate directly

to passing pedestrians create activity and interest.

– Facades can be enlivened by active uses (such

as shops and restaurants), entrances, colonnades,

and windows (views into the building give

interest to passers-by and make the building’s

function apparent, while views out of the building

facilitate overlooking, which contributes to safety).

– Privacy for ground floors of residential

development on busy streets can be maintained

by raising the floor above street level.

– Street entrances at frequent intervals help to

ensure activity.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Victoria Square, Birmingham: successfully remade asa civic and pedestrian focus

Page 25: By Design.pdf

– Buildings on busy street corners that are

designed to accommodate shops, restaurants

and other similar activities can contribute to

local identity and activity.

Well-designed public space relates to the

buildings around it.

– Public space should be designed with a purpose

in mind. Space left over after development,

without a function, is a wasted resource and

will detract from a place’s sense of identity. It is

likely to be abused and vandalised, diminishing

safety and security.

Streets and spaces that are overlooked allow natural

surveillance, feel safer and generally are safer.

– Buildings of all types which front on to streets,

squares or parks, contribute to overlooking by

showing their public face.

– Making separate footpaths or cycle tracks as

direct as possible, and well overlooked, will

help avoid producing places where pedestrians

and cyclists feel unsafe.

– There are advantages in play areas, other

communal space and parked cars being

overlooked.

– Living over shops encourages natural

supervision and evening activity.

– Lighting and planting can help or hinder

surveillance and perceptions of safety.

The design of public spaces should take account

of the micro-climate.

– The layout and massing of development should

take account of local climatic conditions,

including daylight and sunlight, wind,

temperature and frost pockets.

– The micro-climate will both influence and be

influenced by the form of development,

including the orientation of buildings and the

degree of enclosure.

– Public spaces should be protected from down-

draughts from tall buildings, as well as from

lateral winds.

– Deciduous trees and climbers can filter heat and

pollution in summer and allow low winter sunlight.

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Meeting accessibility standards can inspirecreative solutions

High quality materials for shared spaces

section 2 thinking about urban design

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Works of art and well-designed street furniture

integrated into the design of public spaces give

identity and enhance the sense of place.

– Co-ordinating the design of streetscape avoids

clutter and confusion. This includes all elements

of the street scene including signage, lighting,

railings, litter bins, paving, seating, bus shelters,

bollards, kiosks, cycle racks as well as sculpture

and fountains.

– Streetscape design should take account of the

need for maintenance, resistance to vandalism

and access to underground services.

– The work of artists should be integrated into

the design process at the earliest possible stage

if it is to be used effectively.

– Street furniture such as benches and bus stops

should be sited with the safety of users in mind.

Ease of movementA place that is easy to get to and move through

The convenience, safety and comfort with which

people go to and pass through buildings, places and

spaces play a large part in determining how successful

a place will be. Streets are more than just traffic

channels for vehicles, and should offer a safe and

attractive environment for all. Well-designed streets

encourage people to use them, and make going

outside a safe and pleasant experience.

Successful places are unlikely to include large

blocks of inward-looking development which

exclude public access.

A well-designed urban structure has a network

of connected spaces and routes, for pedestrians,

cyclists and vehicles.

– New routes should connect into existing

routes and movement patterns. The degree

of connection in a new development is often

the key to its success. Established footpaths,

shortcuts and minor roads can become the

basis of enduring linkages.

– Public transport should be designed as an

integral part of the street layout.

– Minimising walking distances between major

land uses and public transport stops makes

public transport easier to use and available

to as many people as possible.

– A junction can be designed as a point of entry.

Such junctions can help identify a place and

define the routes through.

Transport routes should reflect urban design

qualities and not just traffic considerations.

– Streets should be designed as public spaces not

just in response to engineering considerations.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Every item of street furnitureis a potential work of art

The experience of the publicrealm is enriched by details

Page 27: By Design.pdf

– Boulevards are a means of creating continuous

frontage development and providing a high

level of traffic capacity.

– The traditional form of high street, which

allows for stopping, parking and slow traffic,

provides an effective way of accommodating

local shopping and economic activity.

A development’s access and circulation should

contribute to a fine-grain network of direct and

connected routes within and beyond the site

rather than creating big blocks.

– The grain of streets is usually finer around busy

shopping streets.

– Streets that connect to other streets encourage

movement and activity and short linked-up

streets can make places more accessible and

encourage walking and cycling.

– In designing for connected streets care should

be taken to avoid undermining the ‘defensible

space’ of particular neighbourhoods.

The way development is laid out can encourage

low traffic speeds.

– Developments should be designed with regard

to their effect on traffic speeds.

– Traffic speeds can be managed by the arrangement

of buildings and spaces. Physical traffic-calming

measures should be secondary but considered

as an integral part of the design.

– Changes in materials or ‘gateways’ at the

entrance to low speed areas can alert

motorists to the need to reduce speed.

– Smaller corner radii will encourage more

careful vehicle movement.

The layout and density of development can help

increase accessibility to public transport.

– Higher densities help to support public transport.

Integrated transport interchanges promote the

use of public transport and provide for seamless

movement between all modes of travel.

– Higher density commercial and mixed-use

developments, civic buildings and developments

likely to generate large numbers of visitors are

best located within close walking distance of

public transport interchanges.

– Stations designed as an integral part of the

public realm create safe and secure pedestrian

environments at all times of the day.

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section 2 thinking about urban design

The new central squareat Birmingham’sBrindleyplace links tothe city centre’s mainpedestrian route

Public transport asan integral part of

the street

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LegibilityA place that has a clear image and is easy to understand

Landmarks, gateways and focal points help people

find their way. Vistas create visual links between places.

Planting can emphasise pedestrian routes. Visible

routes and destinations, and a visible choice of routes,

will contribute to making a place feel safe and

unthreatening. Places where form, layout and signage

make them easy to understand are likely both to

function well and to be pleasant to live in or visit.

Equally, some places draw their charm from their

lack of clear routes. The process of design needs

to take account of the fact that people do not all

read, interpret and enjoy a place in the same way.

Men and women, children and adults, residents and

visitors, old and young people, and people from

different cultures will experience it differently and

be encouraged to feel at ease by different aspects.

Development that is sited so as to enhance

existing views and vistas, and create new ones,

can help people to find their way around.

– The ability to see important routes and

landmarks can be integral to finding one’s way

around and in reinforcing the sense of place.

– Where possible, views should focus on

important routes, memorable buildings and

landscape features.

– A sense of place often depends on the design

of the public realm and its contribution to an

area’s character and identity. Bespoke design

can help, not least of street furniture.

The design, location and function of buildings can

reinforce the identity and character of the routes

and spaces they serve.

– Concentrating the most active uses on main

routes and around focal points will contribute

to the vitality of a place.

– Civic and community buildings, located around

public spaces, provide symbols of community

identity and a focus for civic life.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Local identity is a key to legibility

A direction aid does not have tobe something to read

Page 29: By Design.pdf

– Ensuring that a public building’s function is

readily apparent to passers-by and that its main

entrance is easily identifiable contributes to the

ease of understanding a place.

Well-designed corners enhance legibility by

creating visual interest and contributing to a

distinctive identity.

– Corner buildings can provide identity and

points of orientation. Making them higher

than the surrounding buildings will emphasise

their importance.

– Locating public uses such as shops on the

corners of busy streets enhances activity and

local identity.

The legibility of an area can be improved through

the detailing and quality of materials in new

development.

– Legible designs often depend on close

attention being paid to the detailing, for

example of shopfronts and building entrances.

– Richness of detail is particularly important at

ground level, where people see it close at hand.

– The choice of materials can add interest and

aid legibility. The infinite variations in any

natural material have their own intrinsic

qualities and uniqueness.

– The quality of signage, including that for shops

and other commercial premises, is important

and can enhance identity and legibility.

– Works of art and lighting schemes can help to

aid identity and legibility.

AdaptabilityA place that can change easily

The most successful places have prospered in

changing circumstances. Even though people may

live, travel and work in very different ways, the basic

structure of the physical fabric of such places proves

to be grounded in unchanging patterns of human

life, rather than being unalterably fitted to some

very specific purpose. Successful places avoid the

destructive trauma of large-scale blight and dereliction,

and the sort of comprehensive redevelopment

which serves a narrowly-defined range of purposes.

Places need to be adaptable at every scale. A

household makes different demands on a house

as children are born and grow up. Towns and cities

as a whole have to adapt as industries rise and decline,

demand for housing and the nature of workplaces

changes, and buildings and infrastructure age.

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Distinctive buildings help peoplefind their way around

Somethingmemorableis wortha hundredsigns

section 2 thinking about urban design

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Simple, robust building forms, not tightly

designed to a very particular use allow for the

greatest variety of possible future uses to be

accommodated.

– Floor-to-ceiling heights and building depths

should be considered in the light of the need

for flexibility to allow later conversion of a

building to other uses.

– Adaptable ground floors on corners of busy

streets allow different uses to be

accommodated over time.

– Well-designed housing is adaptable to the

changing needs of its occupants.

Places should be capable of being used for a

range of activities.

– Well-designed public spaces allow for different

uses, such as events, festivals and markets.

– Development can be related to the public realm

in ways that encourage rather than discourage

flexible use of buildings and space. This can be

achieved through the imaginative use of elements

such as terraces, balconies and forecourts.

– To encourage a mix of uses buildings can be

designed so as to facilitate different access

arrangements at different times.

Developments that endure have flexible layouts

and design.

– Fine-grain development is easier to adapt than

large-scale megastructures.

– Roads within a development which are built to

adoptable standards, rather than being locked

into estate management agreements (which

inhibit change), will allow a greater variety of

uses to be developed over time.

– The layout of the infrastructure servicing

development (including water supply, sewerage,

drainage, gas, electricity, cable, telephone,

roads, footpaths, cycleways and parks) should

take account of foreseeable changes in

demand.

– Building to last means thinking about future

uses, expansion and changing needs for access.

For example, the location of means of escape

can facilitate a building’s later conversion, the

position of the building on its site can affect

scope for expansion, and floor-to-ceiling heights

are important in this context.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

The undivided ground floor spaces in mews buildingsmake them easy to adapt. such flexibility can be

designed into new buildings

A Dutch barnconverted intooffices andstables

Page 31: By Design.pdf

DiversityA place with variety and choice

The mix of uses (whether within a building, a street

or an area) can help to determine how well-used

a place is, and what economic and social activities

it will support.

A mix of uses may be appropriate at a variety

of scales: within a village, town or city; within a

neighbourhood or a street; or even in a particular

building. In a town centre, for example, housing

can provide customers for shops, make use of

empty space above them and generate activity

when they are closed. In residential areas, workplaces,

shops and other facilities can make the place more

than just a dormitory.

Mixed-use development can make the most of

opportunities for higher densities and intensive

activity at locations with good access to public

transport. At higher densities, it can provide the

sort of environment that will suit particular kinds

of household, such as single or young people, or

couples without children.

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The adaptable form of this formercommercial building allowed it to be

converted to housing when themarket changed.

Loft conversions take advantage ofrobust building forms

Long-life, loose-fit structureshave flexibility built in

section 2 thinking about urban design

Mixed uses within a building(top) and on a street

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Creating a mix of uses can help to attract people

to live, work and play in the same area.

– The mix can be at the scale of the building (one

use above another), the street (one use next

to another) or the neighbourhood (groups of

uses next to others).

– Vital places often have a mix of uses which

involves different people using the same parts

of a building or place at different times of the

day, as well as different uses happening in different

parts of a building or space at the same time.

Getting the mix right is important.

– A successful mix of uses results where the uses

are compatible one with another and interact

with each other positively.

– A successful mix of uses is achieved where

the uses help to create a balanced community

with a range of services, without increasing

reliance on the car. Diversity of layout, building form and tenure can

contribute to making successful living and

working environments.

– Buildings of different sizes and types allow for

different uses to be accommodated over time.

– To promote social inclusion, in well-designed

places social housing is not distinguishable from

private housing by its design, nor is it banished

to the least attractive site.

– Subdividing large sites into smaller development

plots, each with direct access to public roads or

spaces, can help create diversity, especially if

different approaches to design are adopted,

using different architects.

– Narrow plot frontages can allow small-scale

shopping and commercial activities to flourish

and adapt to changing needs.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Birmingham’s Brindleyplace is a majorcommercial mixed-use development

Oxo Tower Wharf on London’s South Bank mixesdifferent uses on different floors

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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35

section 1 The need for better urban design

URBAN DESIGN

AND THE PLANNING

TOOLKIT

Understandingthe local context

The development plan

Supplementaryplanning guidance

Development control

section 3

Page 36: By Design.pdf

URBAN DESIGNAND THE PLANNINGTOOLKIT

A better practice guide can only hopeto convey a general appreciation ofwhy urban design matters. It canoffer prompts for better design butsuccessful development depends ontailoring these to local circumstancesin both drawing up and implementingplanning policies. Development planpolicies and supplementary planningguidance should be drawn up so asto reflect local needs and opportunities.Design policies cannot take a standardformat or be imported from anotherarea. Everything hangs on how wella local authority draws up, and thenuses, the tools it has available tofoster better urban design.

Understanding the local context

Understanding the local context should be the prelude

to drawing up the planning ‘toolkit’. Developing this

understanding will involve considering a wide range

of matters. Some will be matters of simple observation

or professional judgement. Others will be matters

of opinion, raising questions about whose perspective

counts in the particular circumstances, and how

those people are to be involved in the process of

appraising the context. A range of techniques is

available, but carrying out an appraisal is more

important than the specific technique used and a

simple assessment is better than none.

An appraisal can consist of three elements; the

emphasis will differ depending, for example, on

whether the aim is to produce policy for a plan

or a brief for a specific site. First, there is likely

to be a mainly qualitative assessment of how the

area performs in terms of urban design objectives.

Second, the characteristics of the area or site could

be assessed in terms of constraints, opportunities

and capacity for development. Finally, those factors

which overlay the local context, such as government

advice, would need to be built into the appraisal.

Analysing performance in terms of

urban design

The urban design objectives set out earlier can

be used to order the considerations relevant to

appraisal. What follows is, in effect, a series of

checklists. They are not meant to be followed

slavishly. Understanding the local context does not

require every item on the checklists to be examined

on every occassion and in every place or in the

same depth. The checklists provide pointers to

understanding an area in terms of its urban design.

CharacterA place with its own identity

A variety of techniques is available for appraising

the unique qualities of a place and its people.

These include observation and site surveys,

reviewing historic records, interviews with local

amenity groups, and wider public consultation.

Appraisals can include assessments of:

l memories and associations, local traditions and

cultural diversity;

l the origins and development of the topography

of the area, including surviving elements of

historic street patterns, plot subdivisions,

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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boundary treatments and the relationships

between buildings and spaces;

l the archaeological significance and potential of

the area;

l the architecture and historic quality, character

and coherence of buildings, both listed and

unlisted, and the contribution they make to the

special interest of the area;

l the character and hierarchy of spaces and their

townscape quality;

l prevalent and historic building materials;

l the contribution made to the character of the

area by green spaces, trees, hedges and other

cultivated elements;

l the area’s prevailing (or former) uses, plan forms

and building types;

l the relationship of the built environment to

landscape or open countryside, including

significant landmarks, vistas and panoramas;

l features which have been lost, or which intrude

on or detract from the character of the area.

Continuity and enclosureA place where public and private spaces are

clearly distinguished

The appraisal of the continuity of building frontages

and the degree of enclosure of blocks and public

spaces is largely based on site surveys, and studies

of the dimensions of buildings and streets.

Techniques include identifying and mapping:

l gap sites and abnormal setbacks which interrupt

the common building line of the street;

l conflicts between the backs and fronts of

buildings and the fronts of others, and instances

where the backs of buildings are exposed to

public view and access (as in the case of back

gardens on to roads, alleys and public spaces);

l active and dead frontages at ground floor level:

positive factors such as entrances, shopfronts

and windows; and negative factors such as long

blank facades and high boundary walls, solid

roller shutters to shopfronts, and service

entrances and yards;

l active and dead frontages at upper floors:

positive factors such as windows of habitable

rooms overlooking public space; and negative

factors such as blank gable walls and unused

space over shops;

l places where buildings meet the public realm:

boundary treatments such as changes of level;

gates, railings, fences and boundary walls; front

gardens and in-curtilage parking; and servicing;

l spatial enclosure: cross-sectional studies

examine the relationship between the heights

of buildings and the spaces they define;

l planting (such as trees and hedges), natural

features, land form, and retaining walls which

define and enclose blocks and spaces.

Quality of the public realmA place with attractive and successful outdoor areas

Appraisals of the public realm are based largely on

looking at its components in terms of condition, fitness

for purpose, and contribution to local and civic identity,

and at the potential for reducing street clutter.

Traffic Measures in Historic Towns (Civic Trust and

English Historic Towns Forum, 1993) provides a

valuable checklist for assessing how street clutter

can be reduced. Appraisals can be supplemented

by detailed mapping using Geographical Information

System (GIS) techniques and surveys of users, and

by looking at local crime and accident statistics.

Public realm audits can include assessments of:

l hard landscaping (paving materials, kerbs, walls,

steps and ramps);

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

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l planting (trees, planters, grassed areas, flowers

and borders);

l street furniture (seats, bins, bollards, manhole

covers, tree grilles and railings);

l structures (bus shelters, kiosks, stalls,

information points, pedestrian bridges, beacons

and temporary structures);

l banners and signs (interpretative, instructive,

informative, and directional);

l lighting (pavement, pedestrian, highway, security,

building and feature);

l public art and features (permanent and

temporary works, fountains and graphics);

l shopfronts (thresholds, glazing, stall risers, signs,

banners and shutters).

l advertisements (hoardings, kiosks and banners);

l special treatments and provision (use of colour,

tactile paving, wheelchair ramps, dock edge

treatments);

l safety and security (emergency equipment, salt and

grit bins, closed-circuit television, gates and grilles);

l traffic and highways installations (including

highway markings, parking meters, traffic

signals and control boxes);

l public space use and management (informal use

as well as formal, events, markets, graffiti

removal, litter collection and street cleansing).

Ease of movementA place that is easy to get to and move through

All types of movement in an area can be appraised,

in terms of strategic and local accessibility, traffic

passing and arriving, and the potential for shifting

the balance from cars to walking, cycling and

public transport. Such appraisals will largely rely

on survey information and statistical analysis of

already available data. Existing information held in

local authorities, by passenger transport operators,

town centre management and retail research

organisations (for pedestrian flows in town centres)

and local businesses can be supplemented by

additional surveys and counts.

PPG 13 Transport: a guide to better practice

provides a checklist for an audit of transport

conditions in an area.

Assessing ease of movement includes the following

subjects:

l catchment areas;

l public transport services and accessibility,

including modal split, trip patterns and journey

times, interchange characteristics, levels of

service and priority measures;

l cycle use, including routes and facilities;

l car use (and car ownership levels) including

access and circulation and traffic flows;

l parking (on- and off-street);

l accessibility for disabled people, including

gradients and obstructions;

l pedestrian movements including pedestrian

counts (at various times of the day and week),

points of arrival and destinations, pedestrian

crossings and barriers to movement, points of

conflict with other road users and overcrowding

and congestion. Fruin analysis can be used to

assess levels of comfort on pedestrian routes.

l connections through the area (these can be

assessed by examining network characteristics,

sightlines and the relationship of access to land

use. Space syntax analysis is one technique that

can help in this).

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Space syntax is a technique formeasuring how well streetsare connected

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LegibilityA place that has a clear image and is easy to understand

How easy a place is to understand can be assessed

through a variety of techniques, including mapping,

carrying out surveys and interviews, and watching

how people behave.

Kevin Lynch developed techniques for analysing the

local context which include appraisals of:

l gateways and points of transition (at main entry

points, between different areas and at transitions

between different uses);

l nodes (important junctions and points

of interaction);

l landmarks and features (important buildings,

corners, symbols and works of public art);

l views and vistas (seen from within the area and

from the outside);

l edges, seams and barriers (including the

boundaries between different zones and areas,

and streets which integrate or sever).

AdaptabilityA place that can change easily

Adaptability can be appraised through surveys

of buildings and spaces, and by looking at how

they are used. The level of detail will depend

on the circumstances.

Buildings can be assessed in terms of:

l occupancy and tenure;

l building type (such as warehouse, commercial

office block, terraced house);

l plan form, including building floorplate dimensions

(window-to-window and floor-to-ceiling);

l access and circulation, including alternative means

of escape, servicing and vertical circulation;

l adjacent buildings’ uses;

l structural condition;

l service areas and access cores;

l suitability for modernisation or conversion to

other uses.

Spaces can be assessed in terms of:

l ownership and tenure;

l access and circulation;

l overshadowing and micro-climate;

l surrounding buildings and their uses;

l layout including planting, paving, lighting and

street furniture;

l shape, scale and slope.

DiversityA place with variety and choice

The degree of diversity a place offers can be assessed

by looking at how buildings and spaces are used,

and at patterns of ownership and occupancy.

Surveys will show:

l broad patterns of land use (precincts and quarters);

l patterns of sub-divisions of blocks (typical

frontage dimensions and depth of block);

l distribution and amounts of land uses

(residential, commercial, retail, community and

employment) at street level and upper floors;

l social mix (private and social housing);

l ownership and tenure.

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Identifying constraints and

opportunities

An analysis of constraints and opportunities draws

on the assessment of how the site or area is

performing. It is not independent of the policy

context. This mainly quantitative process can

establish the capacity for growth or change.

Assessments will include:

l planning context (current policies, applications

and consents);

l strategic context (links to the wider area and

relationships to surrounding development);

l local and immediate context (adjacent land uses

and links to the area or site);

l site and statistics (size, proportions, boundary

definition);

l site and area characteristics (contours, ecology,

landscape, hydrology, ground conditions, crime

pattern analysis);

l site and area infrastructure (roads, services, utilities);

l statutory constraints (listed buildings, tree

preservation orders);

l development feasibility, including an assessment

of market demand;

l important structuring elements such as axes,

historic routes, watersheds and main points of

site access;

l tissue studies, which use tracing or overprinting

to show comparisons between existing patterns

of development on a site or area and well-known

developments in other places; such studies can

help to show a site’s or area’s capacity for

development and suggest how it may be laid out.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Tissue studies can help in determiningthe capacity of a site or area

The grain of blocks and plots canprovide clues about how to integratedevelopment into its setting

Lynchian analysis focuses on the features whichmake a place easy to understand

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Influences on the local

policy context

Local authorities operate the planning system within

a framework of policy set by central government.

The planning system itself is only one of the many

influences on the design of buildings and spaces.

Making the most of the potential for good design

depends on understanding these influences and

responding to them effectively.

In particular, national planning policy guidance,

mostly in the form of Planning Policy Guidance

Notes (PPGs), issued by the Department of the

Environment, Transport and the Regions, needs

to be taken into account. The issue of design is

covered primarily in PPG1, though most PPGs

provide some guidance on design:

PPG1 General Policy and Principles – sets out

guidance on the role of design considerations in

planning, emphasising that good design is a key aim;

PPG3 Housing – calls for high quality design,

landscaping and open space in housing development

and stresses the value of development briefs in

raising design standards;

PPG6 Town Centres and Retail Development –

promotes town centre strategies based on urban

design analysis, providing a policy framework

and the context for development briefs. It calls

for improved standards of design of street

furniture, paving, signage and car parks;

PPG7 The Countryside: environmental quality

and economic and social development –

promotes high standards of design and points

to the role of Countryside Design Summaries,

Village Design Statements and landscape

character assessments;

PPG13, Transport – requires new development

to help create places that connect with each

other sustainably; the aim is to provide the right

conditions to encourage walking, cycling and

the use of public transport and to put people

before traffic;

PPG15, Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings –

encourages detailed control of the external

appearance of buildings in conservation areas,

and emphasises the importance of how a

building relates to its surroundings and of the

quality of townscape.

Regional planning guidance (RPG) is also relevant

and important. Under the new arrangements set

out in PPG11 on Regional Planning, this is issued by

the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport

and the Regions following a public examination into

a draft submitted by the regional planning body. This

body, working with other regional stakeholders is

now responsible for preparing the draft guidance.

The more recent RPG has addressed design either

by emphasising regionally important design issues

to which local authorities should respond or by

setting out a strategic framework for design policy.

Strategic planning guidance on specific topics has

also been produced where necessary. An example

is Strategic Planning Guidance for the River Thames,

which sets out the Government’s overall objectives

for the river, and provides the strategic framework

for land use planning along its banks.

Circular 5/94 Planning Out Crime provides advice

on designing for community safety.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

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The development plan

The ‘development plan’ provides an essential

framework for guiding and controlling development.

The development plan may comprise one or more

types of plan depending on geographical location.

Among other things, the development plan:

l provides a vision for the area;

l identifies the main objectives to realise that vision;

l defines the local context of people and places;

l sets out the overall design policy framework

(and other considerations) against which the

local authority will assess development proposals;

l provides the policy foundation for supplementary

planning guidance.

Urban design and the

development plan

Structure plans set out key strategic policies and

provide a framework for local plans. Part I of a Unitary

Development Plan (UDP) sets out a similarly

strategic framework for the detailed proposals in

Part II of the UDP. Most design policies will find

their expression in the more detailed policies of

local plans and UDP Part IIs. But local authorities,

in developing the strategic framework within which

the detailed policies of local plans and UDP Part IIs

will be framed, should consider the importance of

urban design in both influencing and helping to

deliver the objectives shaped in the strategic plan.

Vision

Good plans include aims, objectives and targets.

Collectively, these convey a vision of what is to be

expected from the plan. A more detailed vision

for an area can be developed through a local plan

or UDP Part II and embrace both the sort of place

the council is trying to achieve in terms of corporate

objectives and of the physical form of development

that would be most likely to achieve this. The

plan should explain how these relate to the land

use strategy that is brought forward: for example,

how growth areas will be related to transport

infrastructure and where centres will be developed.

The urban design objectives described earlier, or

locally appropriate variations of them, can help to

describe the sort of place it is hoped to create by

physical development. Every plan should be different,

because it reflects the unique circumstances of the

particular place. Increasingly, the corporate plans of

local authorities have sought their own distinctive

emphasis. Recent examples include cities focusing

on easy movement of people (Bristol, the legible

city), innovation (Coventry, city of innovation),

vitality (Leeds, the 24-hour city) and green issues

(Leicester, the environment city). Such an emphasis

should be reflected in the development plan’s urban

design objectives. For example, a place which values

the protection of its heritage particularly highly would

be likely to emphasise the objective of promoting

distinctive character. Other places might decide on

a different set of objectives to meet local conditions.

At the same time, any successful set of objectives

is likely to be influenced by all the main matters

embodied in the urban design objectives set out

in this guide. The prompts to better urban design

provide a useful starting point for writing design

policies, tailored to local circumstances after carrying

out context appraisals.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

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How the design policies are set out in the plan will

depend on the emphasis that is appropriate locally.

It may be convenient to set out urban design policies

to reflect the appropriate design objectives. But in

some plans it may be convenient to group design

policies according to an aspect of development form

(layout, scale, appearance and landscape) to which

they relate, if that aspect is thought to be particularly

important to the vision for the area.

The plan should explain how its urban design vision

has been shaped by national policies and regional

and local considerations. It should refer to any

context appraisals that have been carried out and

to the involvement of the public in them.

From objective to policy

A policy or proposal that is likely to provide the

basis for deciding planning applications, or for

determining conditions to be attached to planning

permissions, should be set out in the development

plan, and may be augmented in supplementary

planning guidance, such as design guides.

A plan’s design policies, “should concentrate on

guiding the overall scale, density, massing, height,

landscape, layout and access of new development

in relation to neighbouring buildings and the local

area more generally” (PPG1). Too many plans cover

all these factors in a single policy, which simply

specifies that development must be ‘acceptable’

in terms of these matters, or that the scale, density,

massing, height, landscape, layout and access of

development must be ‘appropriate’. Such policies

are generally focussed on the objective of promoting

or protecting an area’s character, with the other urban

design objectives too often neglected. Such phrases

by themselves, however, offer no more guidance to

a developer than is already contained in PPG1.

As well as setting out general design policies, a local

plan or UDP Part II could include design policies

relating to specific areas, specific sites or recurrent

design issues. The plan could also explain how

design issues are to be managed in the planning

process, such as when and how supplementary

planning guidance will be prepared. The plan

should also explain what context appraisals have

been carried out in developing policy.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Bristol’s development plan aimsto make it the legible city

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The complete policy

A complete design policy in a local plan or UDP

Part II would normally set out:

l a design aim, drawn from the urban design

objectives and tailored to the local context;

l the criteria (considerations) against which

planning applications would be considered;

these criteria would make clear how the local

authority would judge whether a proposed

development would satisfactorily apply the

principles embodied in the policy;

l reasoned justification, including an explanation

of how the policy relates to other policies

and objectives;

l an explanation of how the policy might be

implemented (pointing, where appropriate, to

supplementary planning guidance).

Good practice points

The following should be considered in writing plan

policies:

l policies should make a meaningful contribution

to planning decisions;

l policies should avoid unnecessary prescription

or detail, be clearly expressed and be concise;

l the plan should guide planning applicants as to

the council’s design expectations in terms of the

principles to be applied, not set out precisely

how they should be met;

l policies should be monitored to determine how

useful they are to development controllers and

what impact they have on what is built.

Writing general design policies

A plan’s general design policies provide the overall

policy framework for design across the plan area,

and they set the context for specific design policies.

They also provide the basis for development control in

circumstances where no more specific policies apply.

General design policies must be comprehensive

(though not necessarily detailed) if they are to fulfil

this role. In drafting general design policies, careful

consideration should be given to the importance

of each of the urban design objectives. The relative

significance given to each objective will depend on

the character of the plan area.

In some cases it may be appropriate to link design

policies and conservation policies. A conservation

policy may be a design policy which is applied in a

particularly sensitive context.

Design policies should be written in a logical order

that conveys to prospective applicants the thought

processes they should go through in developing

their design solutions. General design policies might

be organised to reflect the local importance of

certain objectives. The plan’s policies should show

how these objectives can be fulfilled. The prompts

to thinking about urban design (section 2) tailored

to the particular qualities and problems of the

place could help. Detail that would not be decisive

in determining a planning application should be

avoided. It is more appropriate to include in

supplementary planning guidance such detail as:

‘Development should relate to the upper cornice

line of St Mary’s Church’

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Writing specific design policies

Specific design policies relate to particular local

conditions, and to the processes used locally to

control development and prepare supplementary

planning guidance. They should only be included

in a plan to cover issues not already adequately

dealt with through general design policies.

Types of specific design policies include:

l area-specific;

l site-specific;

l topic-based.

Area-specific policies

Area-specific policies can be needed for areas which

make a highly significant contribution to shaping

the distinct character of the plan area, or where

guiding change is particularly important. Examples

might include town centres, conservation areas,

waterfronts, transport corridors, regeneration areas,

the urban fringe, and areas of particular character

or use. A local plan or UDP Part II should identify

such areas if appropriate; making it clear which

design policies will apply to specific areas; referring

to any supplementary planning guidance that exists

and explaining the intention to prepare urban design

frameworks for these areas if that is the case.

Preparing design policies for a particular area will

depend on an appraisal of its character, needs and

development pressures, as understood both by

planning and design professionals, and by local

people. Such an appraisal must be rigorous, and

based on collaboration and consultation, if it is to

be an adequate basis for locally relevant design

policies. Context appraisals should be analytical,

not just descriptive.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Interchanges should be designed tomake public transport easy to use

Attention to detail is the key tothe quality of the public realm

A general design policy

A local planning authority may for example wish

to draft a general design policy on height.

Such a policy is likely to emphasise that

consideration should be given to the scale,

massing and height of proposed development

in relation to that of adjoining buildings; the

general pattern of heights in the area; and views,

vistas and landmarks. The policy might be

expanded, using the prompts (see Section 2,

Character), by providing guidance on:

l the siting of landmark buildings or features

so as to enhance existing views and vistas,

and create new ones, helping people to find

their way around;

l the contribution that development makes

to a clearly defined and continuously

enclosed public realm of routes and spaces;

l how public spaces could be protected from

down-draughts from tall buildings as well as

from lateral winds.

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Site-specific policies

The plan should only include design policies which

will apply to specific sites (avoiding unnecessary

detail) if the design issue is of fundamental

importance to the area.

Topic-based policies

A few design issues may be important enough to

warrant including specific topic-based policies in

the plan. These are likely to be elucidated in design

guides. The plan should say what guides and other

supplementary guidance have been prepared and

will be prepared. Some common topics are types

of development which are generally minor but also

among the most common planning applications.

Possible subjects for such topic-based design

policies include advertising and signage, house

extensions, public art and shopfronts. Usually,

the plan’s general policies will cover these topics

adequately without specific topic-based policies

being required.

Supplementary planning

guidance

There are several ways in which local authorities can

develop policies into clear design ideas for particular

areas and sites, and in relation to specific planning

and design issues. What follows are brief explanations

of some of the tools a local authority can use to

achieve the plan’s policy aims and ensure that the

plan itself is not encumbered with advisory material.

The tools considered here are urban design

frameworks (which can be used to provide

guidance for particular areas), development briefs

(which provide guidance for particular sites) and

design guides (which provide guidance on specific

topics). Where this additional guidance is prepared

as supplementary planning guidance (SPG) in the

proper manner, it can carry significant weight when

decisions are taken on planning applications.

Preparing supplementary planning

guidance

SPG can play a valuable role in supplementing the

policies set out in the plan but it does not form

part of the plan. It can provide helpful additional

material for those preparing planning applications

but should be issued separately.

SPG must not, however, be used to avoid subjecting

to public scrutiny policies and proposals which should

be included in the plan. Plan policies should not

attempt to delegate the criteria for decisions on

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An area-specific policy

A local planning authority may for example

wish to draft an area-specific design policy for

a town centre.

The issues are likely to be complex, so all

the urban design objectives may apply. Ease

of movement, quality of the public realm

and continuity and enclosure may be the

most important.

Such a policy is likely to emphasise that

development should contribute to enhancing

the focus of pedestrian movement and,

perhaps, cultural activity in the town centre;

should follow the historic building line, avoiding

unnecessary setbacks; should provide active

shopfronts along the main shopping street; and

provide for residential uses above the shops.

The local authority may also wish to provide

supplementary guidance on the use of materials

and street furniture, making reference to the

council’s public space design guidelines, if any.

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planning applications to SPG. Only the policies

in the development plan can have special status

in deciding planning applications but SPG may be

taken into account as a material consideration. SPG

should be prepared in consultation with the public,

businesses and other interested parties, and their

views should be taken into account before it is

finalised. It should then be the subject of a council

resolution to adopt it as supplementary guidance.

On adoption, a statement of the consultation

undertaken, the representations received and the

council’s response should be made available with

each copy of the SPG (as an annex or seperately).

The urban design principle should be in the plan

as policy. The various ways of achieving it should

be in SPG. In order to keep the plan free of

unnecessary detail any matter that does not need

the authority of a plan policy should not be

included in the plan.

SPG can be particularly useful in dealing with a

matter that is:

l subject to frequent change for reasons outside

the council’s control;

l reliant on advice or documents produced by

other bodies;

l advisory, rather than being a requirement.

As with development plan design policies, SPG is

not interchangeable between one place and another.

It must be based on context appraisals and should

be the subject of public consultation. SPG will need

to be monitored and reviewed in the light of

experience (including planning appeals) and changes

in policy and regulations. The method of monitoring

and review should be considered from the start.

Council officers, developers and others may find

SPG easier to use if they can become familiar with

a consistent format and process of preparation.

Many readers of SPG will be unfamiliar with the

specialised language and concepts of planning and

design. Where they are used, they should be explained

clearly in the text or in a glossary. Some local

authorities make particular efforts to use clear language

in all their publications. Birmingham City Council, for

example, has a Plain Language Unit which helps all

its departments make their policies, letters and other

documents easy to understand. The Council assesses

its documents for clarity and awards them a plain

language logo where appropriate. The Plain English

Campaign provides a similar service nationally.

It might be appropriate to publish information

sheets or leaflets summarising SPG, especially

where a specialist audience requires considerable

technical detail while a more general message

needs to be communicated to a wider audience.

Implementing supplementary planning guidance

SPG will be effective only if it develops the plan’s

principles into a set of design ideas appropriate

both to economic conditions and to the site and

its setting. But even the best ideas will be of no

use if the document is left forgotten on a shelf.

The effectiveness of a design guide, development

brief, or any other supplementary planning

guidance will also depend on:

l the degree to which all relevant departments

of the council are committed to it;

l the vigour with which council members and

officers support it;

l the effectiveness of public participation in

preparing it;

l how logically it is structured, how clearly it is

written, and how well it is illustrated.

The following pages describe some of these types

of SPG in more detail.

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Urban design frameworks

Urban design frameworks provide guidance for

areas undergoing change, or where growth and

change needs to be promoted. A framework:

l explains and illustrates how development plan

policies will be applied in an area;

l sets out comprehensive design principles

for the area;

l links strategy to practical proposals;

l provides guidance for development control.

What a framework does

An urban design framework goes well beyond the

level of detail appropriate for area-specific design

policies in a plan. It draws on detailed area appraisals

and sets out urban design principles. An urban design

framework usually covers an area of which only some

parts will be potential development sites. A framework

goes beyond a traditional master plan, for example,

by including an implementation strategy.

Birmingham City Council, has seen urban design

frameworks as a logical conclusion of a process that

started with the City Centre Strategy, subsequently

incorporated into the Birmingham UDP. The Council

sees them as a way of setting out the big picture

before moving on to more detailed planning and

urban design.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Example:

The relationship between a plan and its SPG

Hull CityPlan contains a single policy on

‘Designing for telecommunications.’ The policy

reads: ‘Telecommunications development will

be allowed if the apparatus is sited and designed

to minimise visual intrusion.’

This establishes that planning applications will

be determined in the light of how visually

intrusive the proposed apparatus would be.

The local authority has published supplementary

planning guidance to explain what this means.

The city council’s SPG Note 11 ‘Designing for

satellite dishes’ consists of two pages. It quotes

other more general design policies from the

CityPlan that are relevant to positioning satellite

dishes; explains when planning permission is

needed; and advises on how satellite dishes

should be positioned.

The SPG suggests that views from streets andneighbouring properties should be respected,

and that dishes should be placed where they

are not obtrusive or seen against the sky; and

it suggests seven positions where one should

consider positioning a dish. These are

illustrated in a diagram.

Bristol has usedurban designframeworks toguide change inmany of its innercity areas

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Urban design frameworks are also known by a

variety of other names, including area development

frameworks, urban design strategies, and planning

and urban design frameworks.

An urban design framework can:

l create confidence, by:

– evolving a shared vision and building

consensus for action;

– highlighting concerns and tackling particular

problems and issues;

– responding to changing local conditions

and development pressures;

– co-ordinating activity and resources, and

harnessing local skills.

l manage change, by:

– promoting high standards of design and

providing a design framework for

development control;

– focusing on specific development

opportunities and their phasing;

– contributing to the plan preparation (and

review) process where the existing plan does

not provide an adequate policy context.

l provide a strategy for implementation, by:

– providing the basis for bidding for public sector

funds and securing private sector support;

– providing an action plan and implementation

programme.

Urban design frameworks and the development plan

Urban design frameworks are a means of applying

plan policies (especially design policies) in particular

areas where there is a need to guide and promote

change. They can also form part of the framework

for development control when used as supplementary

planning guidance.

Urban design frameworks express design and

planning concepts and proposals in two- and

three-dimensional form through drawings, models

and other techniques. They are relatively new

design tools but are being used increasingly widely.

There are many more opportunities to use them,

but there is no merit in providing comprehensive

coverage where there is no special need. Where

they are prepared the aim should be to create the

basis for a dialogue with developers and anyone

else interested in an area, not to set out a rigid

structure for what must happen.

Urban design frameworks are generally initiated

and prepared by local authorities, landowners or

developers, partnerships, or regeneration agencies.

Where a framework is used

An urban design framework can help frame the

context for more detailed development briefs for

specific sites within an area. In a case where several

sites in an area are available for development, it

can provide a strategy for preparing the briefs in

a way that will ensure that developments will

complement rather than compete with each other.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

An urban designframework forpart of Worcestercity centre

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Regeneration areas

In this example a local planning authority wants

to promote a regeneration initiative for a large

managed-workspace and residential complex,

reusing its historic industrial buildings and

developing a number of large derelict sites.

Important design objectives are likely to be

promoting character, ease of movement,

adaptability and diversity. Improving the public

realm could also help to promote positive

change. In drafting design policy and SPG

thought should be given to how the various

aspects of form deliver the important

objectives, and in particular, how:

l the proposed urban structure responds to

the existing settlement pattern and creates

a clear hierarchy of routes and spaces;

l subdividing large sites into development

blocks and sites can encourage mixed uses;

l density guidelines can be framed to take

full advantage of accessibility to local

public transport;

l the height of new buildings relates to

the existing scale of development in the

area, avoiding overshadowing existing

residential areas;

l the massing of new development respects

the scale and building forms of the historic

industrial buildings;

l new development can be successfully

integrated into the landscape.

Section 2 gives a number of prompts to thinking

about urban design which cover these design

issues. They could be used to help prepare

design policy and SPG.

The London Docklands Development Corporationsuccessfully used an urban design-led approachto marketing and developing Greenland Dock

From policy to guidance

An urban design framework enables the design of

the whole or parts of complex urban environments

to be dealt with in a comprehensive and connected

way. All aspects of development form need to be

considered when developing area-based strategies.

Urban design frameworks are appropriate in a

variety of settings:

l city-wide as a means of understanding the

dynamics of a place;

l neighbourhoods and districts including areas of

distinctive character, use and perceived identity;

l urban quarters with mixed uses including

housing, arts, culture and entertainment areas;

l regeneration areas including brownfield sites,

housing and industrial estates;

l town and city centres including guidance for a

full range of revitalisation initiatives;

l town extensions including new housing and

industrial developments;

l villages by expanding on village design statements,

as promoted by the Countryside Agency;

l transport corridors which focus on major routes

on road, rail and river corridors;

l special policy areas such as waterfronts, special

landscape and conservation areas.

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This page sets out the basis of an urban design framework. Its approach uses the objectives of urban

design to shape urban form and generate activity. The framework could be for either a town centre

or an area requiring new development or regeneration.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

NORTH

✱✱

✱✱

1An urban design

framework for an

inner city site

highlights the

constraints and

opportunities…

2…identifies the

opportunities for an

integrated network

of public transport…

4…draws out a

hierarchy of connected

routes and spaces

that link well into

transport routes…

3…relates

opportunities

for increased density

to public transport

accessibility…

5…focuses civic and

community building

onto major routes

and spaces…

6…promotes frontage

development

and a range of

complementary uses

on busy streets…

8…and brings forward

guidance (or design

codes) on issues

such as scale (height

and massing) and

the public realm.

7…establishes a

pattern of local

streets and blocks

which are clearly

contained and

enclosed…

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Example:

Initiating urban design frameworks

in Birmingham and Coventry

A wide range of approaches has been used to

initiate urban design frameworks. Birmingham

and Coventry provide two examples.

At the first event of Birmingham’s Highbury Initiative,

in 1988, over a period of 48 hours international

specialists from a variety of disciplines worked with

people who knew the city intimately on the

opportunities of Birmingham city centre. Eighteen

months later a second event brought together

many of the same people to review progress.

The initiative had a significant influence on city

centre policy and action on planning and design,

leading to the preparation of the City Centre

Design Strategy and Birmingham’s quarter

framework plans. The Highbury Initiative shows

how bringing in outsiders can help to generate

new ideas at the start of the process.

The City of Coventry has embarked on a

comprehensive urban design-led strategy to

guide the future of the whole city. The aims are

to promote good design particularly in the city

centre, along transport corridors and in areas of

special character. Many of the concerns outlined

in Section 2 have been addressed in the review

of Coventry’s Unitary Development Plan.

The process has involved councillors, council

officers, residents and other stakeholders coming

together to define their ambitions for the city.

This has led to a number of regeneration

initiatives, including a proposal to downgrade

part of the raised inner ringway and reinstate

links with surrounding areas.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Birmingham has prepared a series ofurban design frameworks to guidethe development of urban quarters

Example:

The Piggeries Housing Scheme, Frome

The Piggeries is the product of dedicated efforts

by Mendip District Council to turn round a

derelict part of Frome blighted by major road

proposals. Through land assembly and a clear

urban design philosophy the council has fostered

a re-development that provides an attractive

living environment sensitive to its surroundings.

The establishment of a multi-disciplinary project

group early on in the process was crucial to

the scheme’s success, as was the involvement

of the local community. One of the design principles was to retain theexisting footpath network

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Development briefs

A development brief sets out in detail how the plan’s

policies should be implemented on a specific site.

A brief:

l expresses a set of coherent development principles

based on analysis of the planning context;

l is prepared for a site of significant size,

sensitivity or complexity;

l minimises uncertainty and improves efficiency

of the planning and development process;

l can be used to promote development by

identifying constraints, providing realistic ideas

and stimulating interest in mixed uses and high

standards of design.

What a brief does

A development brief provides clear guidance on

how a site should be developed. It is potentially

one of the most effective means of articulating the

design principles for a site and implementing design

(and other planning) policies.

Development briefs are also known by a variety

of other names, including planning briefs, design

briefs and site development frameworks. There

are no standard definitions as to what they should

include, further advice is provided in Planning and

Development Briefs: a guide to better practice. As

design is an integral part of planning, there is no

need for separate planning briefs and design briefs.

The outcome of the design and planning process on

a particular site will be determined and influenced by

policies and standards; market conditions; the local

context; and the approach of designers and project

managers. A brief can help to achieve a balance

between these and to resolve potential conflicts.

A development brief will not be required if the

development plan and any existing SPG provide

adequate guidance for any developer, and if there

is no need to establish a set of urban design ideas

and principles for the site. If a development brief

is to be worth preparing, it must aim to secure a

higher standard of development than would have

been achieved without it.

What a brief contains

A development brief:

l provides a clear statement of why the brief has

been prepared and what it seeks to achieve;

l shows (in words, diagrams, photographs and

drawings) how the plan’s design policies could

be applied on the site;

l provides the basic area and site appraisal that

is an essential requirement for good design;

l sets out design objectives for the site, shows

the first stages of urban design analysis and

expresses initial urban design ideas;

l conveys the local authority’s hopes and

expectations, persuades developers of what

the site has to offer, and inspires them to design

and plan for the highest possible standards;

l includes a summary of the consultation undertaken

and the authority’s response to the issues raised.

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A development brief ’s requirements should be

specific, and expressed in a way which will make it

possible to assess the degree to which a subsequent

proposal reflects the brief. It may be useful for the

brief to include a checklist of the criteria which

would be used. Applicants should explain in their

planning application design statement how they

have responded to any brief.

The planning and design considerations within a

brief should be more than just a list of the relevant

design policies, but reflect thinking as to how those

policies should be applied in the light of the type of

development that seems most economically feasible

as well as the local context.

From policy to guidance

How elaborate a brief should be (and what level

of resources its preparation will require) will depend

on the scale, sensitivity and complexity of the site.

At the simplest, a brief for a small infill site may

require no more than straight-forward guidance

about such matters as height, access, the building

line and materials, and consultation with neighbours.

On large housing or brownfield sites requiring an

orderly approach to phased development, the

emphasis is likely to be on layout, density and

massing. Landscape is likely to be particularly

important on greenfield sites, with topography,

ecology, watersheds and boundaries needing

careful attention. A development brief for a large

site will have many of the characteristics of an

urban design framework, but it will be tailored

to such detailed issues as density, access and

circulation requirements, relationships to adjacent

development, and new landscape.

On smaller sites within established urban areas where

any new form of development will have a marked

effect on the existing context (such as in or near

conservation areas or within the city centre) the

emphasis is likely to be on massing and appearance.

Thought needs to be given to how new development

will relate to the existing in terms of height and

massing as well as in details and materials. The

issues of maintaining continuous building lines

and relationships with the street will be of prime

importance. Attention will also need to be given

to the scope for adaptive reuse of retained

buildings both to enhance and to maintain the

character of the area.

Development briefs may also be needed where

a coordinated approach through preparing a

development strategy can overcome complex

issues or constraints involved in developing a site.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

A development brief can describe building aspects suchas height, setbacks, facade articulation and treatmentof the ground floor

Vertical emphasise toentrances & corners

2 storey arcade/entrances

Main roof line - 10 storeys

8 storey set-back line

This brief shows how layout and massing canintegrate development into its surroundings

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Preparing a brief

Most briefs are prepared by local authorities, but

landowners, developers, regeneration partnerships,

and business and community organisations can

also prepare them, preferably in consultation with

the council.

A wide range of people will usually need to be

involved in preparing the brief. An effective brief

may need the involvement of landowners and

developers to provide information on economic

conditions, and local people and interest groups

to highlight values, needs, expectations and live

issues. Representatives of interests that might later

want to influence a planning application should be

consulted or involved in preparing the brief. All the

relevant departments and disciplines should be

represented on the local authority’s team.

Preparing a development brief calls for design skills.

These will be needed in particular in appraising the

site in relation to everything that might be relevant

to the form and appearance of buildings and spaces;

and in drawing up and illustrating a series of site-

specific design principles.

A local authority which does not have sufficient

in-house design expertise to prepare a development

brief itself might:

l commission consultants to advise on design;

l rely on another organisation (such as a

developer) to prepare the brief;

l collaborate with a voluntary organisation.

In any case the council will need to have sufficient

design expertise to manage the consultants effectively,

or to assess the design element (that is, everything

that might be relevant to the physical form of

buildings and spaces) of the brief.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Large sites

In this example an extension to a small town is

contemplated.

In developing design guidance for the proposed

development, the objectives of promoting character,

continuity and enclosure and accessibility may

well be the most important. In drafting design

policy and SPG, thought should be given to how

the development will be laid out in response to

the site’s land form and character. It is likely that

the design policy would emphasise that (i) the

layout and landscape design of development

should reinforce a sense of place; (ii) the

landscape treatment of the site and urban edges

should place particular emphasis on how the

development relates to its landscape setting.

The design policy could be expanded through

SPG to show:

l how the development could respond to the

natural features of the site;

l the benefits of planting species that are

locally common;

l how structure planting and shelter belts could

be created on the rural boundaries of the

site to provide a clearly defined urban edge;

l the way the various elements of the street

scene could contribute to the identity of

the place, including sculpture, lighting,

railings, litter bins, paving, hard landscape,

seating, bollards, kiosks, cycle racks, signage

and water features.

The prompts to thinking about urban design

in Section 2 would be a useful starting point

for informing the preparation of the guidance.

Detailed site appraisals would help in

understanding the nature and complexity of

the site, enabling more sensitive guidance

to be developed.

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A brief can be illustrated by concept diagrams,

building envelope guidelines (diagrams with

dimensions) and three-dimensional sketches of

building forms and spaces. Such drawings should

not go beyond what is required to explain the

application of the principles.

A design brief should communicate strong design

ideas, without actually designing buildings or

layouts. Those who prepare briefs are sometimes

tempted to design a building or buildings which

would conform to the principles, and to include

the fully worked-up drawings in the brief. This may

confuse potential developers, who will not easily

be able to tell which aspects of the drawings

illustrate the application of the principles, and

which have been included merely to enhance the

drawings’ appearance. Prescriptive design and any

suggestion of a particular style should be avoided.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

The drawings in a brief should not go beyond what isneeded to illustrate the planning and design principles

One district council’s procedure forpreparing development briefs:

l a lead officer convenes a multi-disciplinary team;

l all interested bodies are informed that the

brief is to be prepared;

l an initial site meeting is held to which the

following are invited: chairman of development

committee, chairman and vice chairman of

area planning sub-committee, ward

councillor(s), chairman of town/parish council,

site owner(s), developer, representative of

county surveyor, officers preparing the brief

and other interested parties;

l a first draft and site appraisal plan are

prepared and sent to councillors; working

drawings, illustrations or indicative layouts

may be prepared to test the emerging

thoughts on development options against

the brief ’s objectives, but these will not

appear in subsequent drafts (so as not to

stifle originality);

l the brief is reconsidered in the light of

councillors’ responses;

l a second draft is sent to town/parish

council meeting, site owner/agent and other

consultees and the need for further public

involvement considered;

l the final brief is written for approval by

the council;

l the brief is circulated widely.

Good practice points

l multi-disciplinary team

l councillors are involved at an early stage

l brief is well publicised and circulated widely

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Design guides

A design guide provides detailed guidance on how

specific types of development can be carried out in

accordance with a plan’s design policies. A guide:

l elucidates and exemplifies a set of design

principles relating to that topic;

l identifies common design failings and helps to

avoid them;

l provides a basis for consistency in the local

authority’s dealings with planning applicants and

a basis for negotiation;

l enables a local authority to communicate its

commitment to design both internally and to

everyone involved in the development process;

l some design guides, on satellite dishes for

example, may relate to a single policy. Others,

on complex subjects such as mixed-use

development, will relate to a number of policies.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Developer-initiated briefsThe process followed by one district council

when a developer (or landowner) initiates

a development brief for housing:

Stage 1: the appraisal

l policy context defined and forwarded to

applicant;

l consultation undertaken with public

authorities and responses forwarded to

the developer before the brief is drafted;

l developer appraises physical character

of the site;

l consultation with the local community,

responses appraised by the developer;

l housing market study largely undertaken

by the developer, with input by the local

authority on affordable housing.

Stage 2: the development brief

l developer compiles details of site

constraints and opportunities;

l applicant compiles development options;

l all appraisals and briefs approved by the local

authority. If a brief submitted by a developer

is refused, the developer can negotiate

further and make a revised submission, or

pursue an application for planning permission.

Good practice points

l the respective roles of the council and the

developer, and the role of negotiation, are

made clear from the start;

l the council approves the developer’s

appraisals, providing an increasing degree

of certainty throughout the process; the

council will seek to negotiate with the

developer where it feels there are

omissions or differences of interpretation.

The design ofshopfronts isthe mostcommon topicfor guidelines

An extension reflecting the formof the original house

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What a design guide does

Design guides are among the most common

mechanisms used by local authorities (and others)

to influence the design of development. The most

successful guides have the committed support of

all the relevant council officers and planning committee

members, and are clearly understood by local

developers, architects and other users.

Design guides can inspire innovative design

appropriate to its context; raise standards of a

particular type of development where problems

have been identified; and provide answers to

questions frequently asked by applicants.

Design guides enable local authorities to guide

development in relation to particular design issues

and type of development, elucidating the design

policies in the development plan. Producing a

design guide can be an effective use of a council’s

design skills, in cases where officers find themselves

repeatedly giving the same advice.

What a design guide contains

A well-prepared design guide will usually include:

l the purpose of the guide;

l information on how to use the guide and who

produced it;

l an account of consultation on the guide and the

authority's response;

l current status (draft for consultation, for example)

and eventual status (SPG, for example);

l an explanation of the policy context, how the

guide relates to plan policies, national guidance,

other design guides, development briefs, and

relevant initiatives such as any relating to town

centre management, security or conservation;

l an explanation of what context appraisals the

guide is based on, and a summary of what

they showed;

l design guidance, illustrating the design policies

in the development plan through a set of design

principles relating to the specific topic and the

local context;

l illustrations, photographs and plans (with captions,

except where the illustration is included purely

to make the document attractive);

l information on when planning permission is

required and submission requirements;

l a glossary (unless all specialised terms are

explained where they appear in the text);

l references to further information;

l grants available (if relevant);

l contacts in the local authority and other

organisations;

l details of specialist manufacturers, contractors

and advisors (on crime prevention, for example)

where appropriate.

From policy to guidance

Design guides deal with a wide range of design

and development control topics. Some cover a

limited number of aspects of form and only some

of the objectives.

Design guides for buildings – design guides can cover

such topics as shopfronts, building extensions and

signs, dealing largely with the appearance (details

and materials) and scale (massing). In a guide on

shopfronts, for example, the objectives of promoting

character and ease of understanding are likely to

be the most important.

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Streetscape and landscape design manuals – design

guides on routes and spaces cover topics such as

public space, cycling, landscape, lighting and works

of art. The emphasis is on promoting character,

quality of the public realm, ease of movement and

ease of understanding. Design guides on landscape

cover topics such as nature conservation, planting,

hydrology and land form. The emphasis is on

promoting character.

Design guides for specific uses – design guides

should avoid covering types of development (such

as residential, leisure, retail or industrial) in ways

which may encourage single-use development.

Residential design guides can help to raise the

standards of housing design and layout but care

must be taken to encourage diversity and integration

with other land uses. There is sometimes a case

for replacing guides for specific uses with

neighbourhood, district and city development guides.

Neighbourhood, district and city development

guides – some design guides relate to areas such

as neighbourhoods, parts of or whole cities and

towns (such as the Manchester Development Guide).

The guidance may well cover all the objectives

outlined in Section 2 (as modified by the local

context). Such guides can play a valuable role in

guiding development, promoting mixed use, acting

as vision documents, stimulating regeneration and

contributing to city marketing.

Countryside design summaries – this is SPG prepared

by a local authority to encourage a more regionally

and locally based approach to design and planning.

Village design statements – these are advisory

documents, usually produced by village communities,

showing how development can be carried out

in harmony with the village and its setting. These

statements can be adopted as SPG. The use of

village design statements is promoted by the

Countryside Agency.

Preparing a design guide

Most design guides are produced by local authorities,

but they are also produced by regeneration agencies

and partnerships (such as Hulme Regeneration) or

housing associations (such as the Guinness Trust).

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Design guides for public space can help inspiredevelopment which promotes objectives such ascharacter and quality of the public realm

Neighbourhood design guide

In this example a district council wants to

promote better housing design and layout

through a neighbourhood design guide aimed

at volume housebuilders.

Many of the sites identified for development

in its local plan are next to existing residential

areas. This suggests it is important to integrate

the new with the old.

Most objectives and aspects of form are likely

to be relevant in preparing such a design guide.

The layout of the area is particularly important.

For sites well-connected to public transport,

the council may also want to specify a

minimum development density and a mix of

uses. Height and massing will also need to be

carefully considered. The guide might explain

how landscaping and design detail such as the

use of appropriate materials can promote local

character and a high quality of public realm.

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Preparing a design guide is likely to involve the local

community and several parts of the council (such

as development control, design and conservation,

local plan, building regulations, highways, estates

and community liaison).

It will usually be appropriate for other stakeholders

to be involved in the preparation, such as the

Chamber of Commerce, other trade associations,

the local branch of the RIBA, amenity and interest

groups, civic societies, design and conservation

advisory panels, and nearby local authorities.

Presentation

It is helpful:

l to decide whether the guide is to be sent out

(in whole or part) with planning application

forms, and design it (in terms of weight and

cost, for example) accordingly;

l to produce the guide in two parts (a technical

document and a popular summary) where

appropriate;

l if the guide is to be copied in parts for sending

to planning applicants, to ensure it is written so

that each part is self-sufficient;

l to specify an appropriate quality of production

to ensure that circulation is not limited by an

excessive price (or cost of free distribution);

l to produce worksheets and checklists (on matters

such as typical details, materials and schedules),

as appropriate, to supplement the guide.

However well it is conceived, structured and written,

the extent to which a design guide is read, understood

and used will depend a good deal on how it is

presented graphically. In the best design guides the

structure is made clear by the appropriate use of

headlines, type and size of text. Headlines and captions

make it possible to skim through the guide and get

a clear idea of the structure and contents, before

going back to read it or use it for reference.

Illustrations, photographs and plans which do not

have a purpose, may have a place as a means of

making the guide look attractive, breaking up the

text, or through adding to the general impression

that is being made. But they will do little or

nothing to convey information or reinforce the

text. Most illustrations, photographs and plans

without captions stating the point they are

intended to make do not have a useful purpose.

Promotion

A design guide is only effective if it is seen and

used. Guides can be:

l put on display in the planning department and

other council offices;

l put on display in public libraries;

l given to planning applicants at pre-planning

application meetings;

l sent out with forms about a grant scheme;

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

3.5m 6m 5m 7m1.5m

Illustrations are often the key to aneffective design guide

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l sent out with planning application forms, where

appropriate (either the whole guide, relevant

parts of it, or a leaflet about it);

l sent out by council officers (as a whole and

with specific sections copied) in response

to enquiries;

l used in negotiations;

l promoted through demonstration projects;

l referred to in the development plan and other

documents;

l referred to in the local authority’s planning

handbook and on planning application forms,

where appropriate.

Using the guide

It is important that everyone, including development

control officers and planning committee members,

in a position to apply its principles is committed

to the guide. This can be secured by:

l holding internal seminars and continuing

professional development (CPD) talks with

council members and officers;

l showing (by way of publications or visits) how

the guide has led to higher standards of design;

l holding seminars with potential users of the

guide, including people who regularly submit

planning applications, as agents for householders

and developers.

Instant results should not be expected. The

benefits will be seen when development control

officers and users of the guide get used to it and

absorb the principles it embodies. The application

of design guides will need to be complemented by

skilled negotiation and appropriate consultation.

Development control

The development control process is an essential

item in the planning toolkit. How it is used determines

whether the design policies in development plans

and supplementary planning guidance are respected

and applied. Even the most thoroughly developed

design policies will achieve next to nothing if they

are ignored in the development control process.

The next section considers how a planning

application should be handled if a good design

result is to be achieved.

It is the statutory responsibility of council members

and officers to see that development proposals are

determined in accordance with the objectives and

principles expressed in the development plan,

including those relating to design “unless material

considerations indicate otherwise”. To achieve this

requires a proper understanding of these principles,

and the skill to assess the design quality of projects

and negotiate improvements where necessary.

Through published plans and guidance, potential

applicants should be in a position to understand

what development is likely to be acceptable to

the local authority. An understanding and helpful

approach from development control officers should

help applicants resolve conflicts and meet the

requirements of the statutory procedures, ensuring

that the development control process proceeds

effectively and efficiently.

The pre-application stage

Applicants want a favourable decision quickly. The

fastest approvals can be given when the applicant

brings forward a high quality proposal. This is more

likely to happen if the applicant has discussed the

proposal with planning officers before submitting

the application, and has consulted adjoining owners

and other interested parties.

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The aim should be to expose any potential conflicts

arising from a development proposal in the early

stages of the design process. Resolving these conflicts

early helps to avoid confrontation and polarised

attitudes during the later, formal stages of the

application. Insufficient preparatory work before

submitting a planning application can lead to

time-consuming delays later.

It should be evident to the applicant from the outset

that the local authority is committed to a high

standard of design. Formal expressions of policy

can be reinforced in subtle ways, for example by

a well-designed and attractive reception area in the

council offices, with illustrations of well-designed

projects and details about local design initiatives.

The negotiation process

Negotiations between an applicant and local authority

should aim to be effective and successful for both

parties. It is important at the outset that both

parties are clear about their overall objectives and

explicit about likely sticking points. This will help

the applicant to appreciate the relative weight of

different council policies and the most important

design considerations. It will also help the planning

officer understand the economic and market

conditions relating to a particular development

proposal. The planner will be better able to judge

whether the application is a planning exercise to

establish the value of a site for marketing purposes,

or a genuine development proposal.

The basis for discussions on design will have been

set by the policies in the development plan and

any SPG. It is important at the beginning of these

discussions to concentrate on the most important

urban design considerations, such as the location

of the proposed building(s) on the site, their height

and massing, their relationship to site boundaries

and adjoining properties, access to the site and

circulation within it. Architectural detail is unlikely

to be an issue at this stage.

In some cases the applicant’s intentions and the

council’s design policies will be incompatible. If so,

it may be necessary to terminate discussions and

indicate that, if pressed to a conclusion, the

application would be recommended for refusal.

It is bad practice to continue beyond this point if

the likely result is a poor compromise where, in

view of the time they have spent together in

negotiations, the planning officer feels obliged to

support the applicant by recommending a mediocre

scheme to the planning committee. Neither party

may be happy with the outcome. If the committee

refuses the application, the applicant may feel

misled and resent the time that has been wasted.

Offering advice

The planning officer is often asked to provide a design

solution, particularly where the applicant has not

appointed an architect. Even some architects will

invite a planning officer to draw an alternative layout

or building elevation. Planning officers should be

highly circumspect in these situations. It may be

more appropriate to advise the applicant to

employ a qualified designer who will have the time

to understand the brief properly and provide a

professional service. Design quality does not rest

solely on the initial design and the planning

consent, but on the development processes that

follow. A building project should receive the

appropriate level of design effort and expertise

throughout its duration.

Design guidance offered during a negotiation

(beyond that available in published documents)

is best given by a qualified designer – an architect,

landscape architect or urban designer. It is important

that a local planning authority employs staff with

professional design training, or can draw on these

skills through alternative arrangements.

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section 3 urban design and the planning toolkit

Example:

Designing the new Hulme, Manchester

The new Hulme is a return to streets, squares

and civic spaces. Community involvement in the

planning, design and development process has

been extensive and is reflected in the ‘Hulme

Guide to Development’ which provided the

design guidance for the area. Local people

wanted to see traditional street patterns and a

community with a mix of housing and facilities.

The new Hulme responds to these aspirations

and backed by a substantial programme of

economic and social change the community’s

prospects have been turned round.

A mixed use housing co-operative schemeHulme arch bridge

New look Hulme prompted by design guidanceand the views of residents

The old Hulme

Making the transformation

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Example:

Bede Island North, Leicester

Bede Island has been turned from

an eyesore on the edge of Leicester’s

City Centre into an attractive and

vibrant place to live, work and play.

The mixed use development is based

firmly on good design principles and

grew from a planning brief that set

out clear requirements for the uses,

form and layout to be achieved. The

transformation represents the hard

work of a City Challenge partnership

working closely with its local community.

A former pump houseconverted into a public

house forms one side ofthe square. The tower is a

local landmark

Axonometric sketch of Bede Islandshowing the public square at theheart of the community

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Pre-application design statements

A pre-application design statement can be made

by a developer to explain the design principles on

which a development proposal is based, and how

these will be reflected in its layout, density, scale,

landscape and visual appearance. It can explain

how these principles were evolved from the relevant

policy, site and area appraisal, and consultation. The

statement enables the local authority to give an initial

response to the main issues raised by the proposal.

Such a design statement can be an effective and

flexible mechanism for structuring the design and

planning process, in the case of a site which is not the

subject of a development brief. The statement can:

l enable the local authority to be proactive;

l highlight and resolve potential conflict at an

early stage;

l ensure that the developer has as much certainty

as possible as the design process progresses,

reducing the likelihood of unexpected delays,

abortive work and unnecessary expense;

l create the conditions for good design;

l structure the design and planning process;

l facilitate the process of pre-application

negotiations between developer and planners;

l provide a basis for later evaluating the

development proposal;

l provide a basis for public participation,

as appropriate.

The pre-application design statement might outline:

l the policy background, identifying all relevant

policies, development briefs, design guides,

standards and regulations;

l the context, including a site and area appraisal

(illustrated with diagrams), summaries of

relevant studies, and reports of any relevant

consultations;

l feasibility factors, including summaries of

economic and market conditions (subject to

the need for commercial confidentiality);

l the design and project management approach.

This will include an outline of the various stages

of the design process (for example: site and

area appraisal, design workshops, design panels,

urban design and building design) and a

description of the design skills which will be

employed at each stage;

l the design principles which have been

formulated in response to the policy

background, the site and its settings and the

purpose of the development, and an outline

of how these will be reflected in the

development’s layout, density, scale, landscape

and visual appearance;

l a programme of meetings with the local

authority and other bodies;

l a proposed programme of participation and

consultation. The appropriate level of

consultation will depend on the degree to

which consultation has already been carried out

in the preparation of any relevant development

briefs or design guides and on statutory

requirements.

The level of detail required will depend on the scale

and sensitivity of the development. A statement

relating to an application to build or alter a single

house can be brief and straightforward. Describing

the context, for example, might involve a simple

sketch of the house and the buildings on each

side of it, and a short description of the general

character of the street. The design statement for

a development on a large and sensitive site would

need to be detailed and comprehensive.

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Preparing the statement

In the case of a potential development of significant

size or sensitivity, a local authority which takes a

proactive approach will discuss with the developer

the intended stages of the design process, and set

out the roles and responsibilities of the main

players. At an early meeting the developer and the

council may agree that the developer will produce

a pre-application design statement.

The local authority will respond to the design

statement as part of the process of negotiation,

helping the developer to progress the proposal,

and confirming the council’s design expectations.

The developer may revise the design statement

in the light of the local authority’s response. The

revised statement may be referred to in assessing

the subsequent planning application.

Planning application stage

A planning application should take the local planning

authority through the thought processes that have

gone into the design. It should be submitted in a

form that demonstrates how the proposal responds

to the site, the locality and the policy context.

Planning application design statements

As laid down in PPG1, applicants for planning

permission should provide a written statement

setting out the design principles they have adopted

in relation to the site and its wider context. This

helps in assessing the application against design

policies, and it requires applicants to think about

design in an analytical and positive way.

A design statement submitted with planning

applications should:

l explain the design principles and design concept;

l outline how these are reflected in the

development’s layout, density, scale, visual

appearance and landscape;

l explain how the design relates to its site and

wider area (through a full site and area appraisal

where appropriate), and to the purpose of the

proposed development;

l explain how the development will meet the

local authority’s urban design objectives (and its

other planning policies);

l include a popular summary where this would

be of value in public consultation.

Planning application design statements are appropriate

for even the smallest and most uncontroversial

development proposals, as together these have an

enormous impact on the environment. In such cases

only a brief statement explaining the design approach

(appropriately illustrated) is likely to be necessary.

A written design statement should be illustrated,

as appropriate, by:

l plans and elevations;

l photographs of the site and its surroundings;

l other illustrations, such as perspectives.

Other information to support a planning application

‘Checklist 2’ in the appendices points to the material

to be submitted with a planning application to enable

the design to be properly assessed.

It is important that plans and illustrations submitted

with planning applications should be suitable for

their purpose. Technical production drawings contain

information which is superfluous to the planning

process. They are unlikely to convey the character

of the design in a way that is helpful to the officers

and members assessing it for the local authority.

Coloured plans may be more easily understood,

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and three-dimensional drawings and architectural

models are particularly helpful. Perspectives must

be accurate (many planning authorities are mistrustful

of ‘artists impressions’, which have sometimes been

deliberately misleading) and drawn from a viewpoint

which is relevant (usually from a significant public

location). Eye-level for the perspective should

normally be two metres above ground level, not

that of a bird in flight.

Drawings of elevations should extend some way

beyond site boundaries to show the relationship of

the proposal to neighbouring buildings. Long street

elevations showing a proposal in its context are

particularly helpful. Again, drawings must be accurate.

The planning decision

Having established that a development proposal

is likely to be acceptable in relation to broad

considerations of land-use and traffic generation,

the design aspects should be addressed at an early

stage. The key urban design issues need to be

identified against the background of design policies

and any specific site briefing.

Seeking qualified advice

Qualified designers can be scarce in local planning

departments, where this is the case it is important

that their time is focused on important schemes and

issues. Their contribution may be made in a number

of ways, including the setting up of design review

panels or design surgeries to which development

control officers bring cases for a specialist view.

Whether such arrangements are made or not, all

development control staff must understand the

design policies in the development plan and SPG,

be able to recognise the relevant issues and know

when it is appropriate to seek specialist advice.

Whenever possible a qualified designer should join

the council’s development control officer in any

significant discussions about design with applicants

or their architects. Other professionals who play

a role in the development control process can have

an influence on design quality, for better or worse.

This is particularly true of highway engineers. It is

important to involve them in any urban design training

that is carried out within the local authority to ensure

that their approach is complementary to that of

the planning staff. Their contribution to development

control casework should be as members of a

team, rather than as consultees at arm’s length.

Checklists can be useful in ensuring that all the relevant

design issues have been considered. They can help

to establish a routine within the planning control

process that gives proper attention to design quality.

Independent assessments

For major applications, and where it does not

have adequate staff design skills for a particular

evaluation, a local authority may wish to

commission an independent design assessment.

Such an assessment can be carried out by consultants,

by another local authority, or by some other agency.

It may be appropriate for the developer to meet

all or part of the cost of the assessment. Indeed the

developer may sometimes opt to commission an

independent assessment (from an advisor respected

by the local authority) to form part of the design

submission at planning application stage or following

a period of negotiation.

An independent design assessment can:

l provide a local authority with a basis for more

informed decision-making;

l give a developer independent design advice;

l provide the basis for rejecting a design of

poor quality;

l complement other assessments, such as those

on retail, transport and environmental impacts.

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Design advisory panels

A number of local authorities use independent

design advisory panels (also known as architectural

advisory panels) to help them assess the design

aspects of planning applications. Some panels meet

frequently to consider relevant items on the planning

committee agenda. Others become involved only

where there is a dispute between an architect or

designer and a planning officer, which cannot

otherwise be resolved.

The skills and experience of a design advisory

panel can be more fully used by involving it at an

earlier stage in the planning process, such as in the

preparation of design policies, development briefs

and design guides.

The use of advisory panels is supported by both

the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and

the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The RIBA

publishes a Practice Guidance Note on architects’

advisory panels, including model terms of reference

and a specimen form of report. Some panels consist

only of architects, while others benefit from a much

wider range of design advice. The membership of a

panel should not produce the result that a group of

local architects are commenting on each other’s work.

The planning decision and committee process

In the case of a detailed planning application, the

officer’s report to committee should draw from the

applicant’s design statement and where appropriate

attach it, or a summary of it, as an appendix. The

report should also consider and evaluate the main

design issues. Sometimes it will be possible to

accept a proposal in principle while certain design

details remain to be resolved. A conditional

approval can then be granted, allowing details of

materials, landscaping, boundary treatments or even

the elevation treatment of all or part of a building

to be approved later. The fundamental urban design

principles of a scheme should not, however be

relegated for later consideration. They must be

acceptable at the time any consent is granted.

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It is important that members of the planning

committee can see proper and full evidence of the

design quality of proposals which they are being

recommended to approve. Architectural models

and reliable and accurate perspective drawings are

invaluable. (With advances in information

technology it can be expected that in the future

committees will be able to see computerised

simulations of journeys around and through

proposed buildings. They will be able to select

viewpoints for computer-generated three-

dimensional images of buildings.)

It is also helpful for someone with design training

to be on hand at the committee to explain and

discuss design issues, and respond to members’

questions and suggestions.

While committee members do not need

professional qualifications to represent the views

of the public, they are entitled to receive proper

training to do their job. This should include an

introduction to urban design issues in planning,

including the principles set out in this guide and

the opportunities to improve design locally through

using the planning toolkit.

Member (and officer) training might include seminars

on particular themes (such as the design of

supermarkets or mixed-use areas).

Reviewing outcomes

Local authorities need to review the outcome of

their contribution to the development process.

Regular visits to completed projects will help them

reflect on the decisions they took and on the

impact made by officers or members in negotiating

changes to schemes.

This process will illustrate the successes and

failures of development control, and the adequacy

of the policies on which it rests. If this experience

is properly analysed and understood, it should lead

to improved policies and procedures, and to an

upward spiral of achieving better design through

the planning process.

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The market square in Kingston-Upon-Hullfollowing refurbishment

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71

section 1 The need for better urban design

Raising

standards in

urban design

Proactive Management

Collaboration

Developing the right skills

Design initiatives

Monitoring and review

section 4

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RAISINGSTANDARDS INURBAN DESIGN

The effectiveness of the planning toolsin raising standards of urban designwill depend on how they are used andthe management style and ability ofthe people who use them.

This section is intended to showhow local authorities (and othersinvolved in planning and development)can ensure quality, improve theeffectiveness of the planning tools,manage the planning processproactively, promote collaborativeworking, develop design-related skills,and support design initiatives.

Everyone who makes policy, shapesopinions, sets budgets, selects designers,writes briefs or assesses proposals canplay a part in raising standards.

Proactive management

Operating the planning system effectively involves

exercising considerable discretion. Plans and

supporting documents provide a reference point

against which to measure development proposals,

not a legally binding yardstick.

At its best, planning manages the process of

change proactively, rather than merely reacting to

events. The best planning practice involves a real

engagement with the process of development. It

helps to release development value that might

otherwise be locked up in intractable urban

problems. Thus it can achieve public policy

objectives that might otherwise seem impossible

and remove obstacles that might otherwise

perpetuate conflict and cause delay.

Achieving this involves the planner in finding

out who has a stake in change; bringing together

information and opinions from those people;

helping to identify common interests; and reaching

agreement on planning and design principles.

Specific tasks are likely to include: planning,

organising and co-ordinating the development

briefing process; providing information and

communicating; motivating a wide range of people;

managing conflict; facilitating events; negotiating;

and monitoring and reviewing the process.

The proactive management of the planning and

development process is distinctly different from a

purely reactive approach. With proactive management:

commercial feasibility is seen as a key to

harnessing the development process to achieve

the goals of public policy, rather than being

regarded as irrelevant to planning. Developers rely

on the planning system to reduce uncertainty

about the conditions for development, and to help

them in complying with public policy objectives,

responding to local context, and managing the

process of reconciling conflicting interests;

the timing of the planning process is seen as

responding to the pace of the development process,

rather than proceeding independently of it;

the planning department works closely with

other departments and agencies to promote wider

corporate objectives, initiatives and socio-economic

policy, for example working with the Police on

community safety;

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there is multi-disciplinary working by all departments

of the local authority (including planning, highways

and transportation, housing and economic

development) and across all disciplines to foster a

holistic approach to urban design and development;

development planners and development controllers

work closely together in pursuing common

objectives. Site development briefs are prepared

collaboratively to identify common interests and

initiate dialogue in the context of the council’s

policies, rather than being used merely to set

out those policies;

development control is used as a positive means

of guiding planning applicants towards fulfilling both

their own objectives and those of public policy.

Proactive management requires planning departments

to help applicants and potential applicants find their

way through the process, particularly by putting them

in contact at an early stage with all the council officers

with a possible interest in the development. The

aim should be to resolve as much as possible of

the potential conflict arising from a development

proposal. Resolving conflicts early helps to avoid

confrontation, polarised attitudes and delay.

To do this successfully development control planners

should be skilled in negotiation, collaboration and

communication. They should be trained in the use

of SPG to guide development. It is essential that

the council attracts talented planners who are

committed to using their skills to make things happen.

Collaboration

The outcome of the planning process depends on

how effectively people work together: those who

guide and control design; those who initiate and

implement development; and the designers and

those who manage the process.

Do these parties communicate with each other?

Do they negotiate to resolve potential conflicts?

Do the people preparing guidance understand

the needs of developers and landowners?

Do the designers work within the constraints of

the market?

Do the developers have access to the information

they need about the local context?

These connections rarely happen by chance: the

creative process by which people collaborate to

build on common interests has to be managed.

Managing that process is itself a skill. Success depends

on using suitable approaches and techniques,

holding the right sort of events, and involving the

right people, in the right sequence and at the

appropriate time.

A local authority or partnership may have the necessary

skills itself, or it may need to hire a facilitator or

other consultants to plan and support the process

of collaboration.

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section 4 raising standards in urban design

Working across disciplines to deliver a well-designedtransport interchange in Sunderland

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Effective collaboration and public participation can

help the urban design process by raising difficult

issues at an early stage. Government policy encourages

public consultation and participation (in some instances

setting out formal requirements) in preparing

development plans, SPG, and environmental and

conservation area enhancement schemes, and in

determining planning applications. Collaboration

and public participation are also needed in

preparing village design statements, countryside

design summaries and regeneration initiatives.

The success of collaboration will depend on:

l the process being tailored to local

circumstances;

l everyone involved understanding their role,

rights and responsibilities from the beginning;

l where appropriate, the process being open to

everyone with a stake in the area;

l the flow of information being managed to

match the needs of all participants;

l participants having appropriate access to skills

and professional expertise.

Successful collaboration involves using appropriate

approaches and techniques in a planned and

coordinated way, rather than choosing whichever

happens to be the favourite of a particular enthusiast.

A range of possible approaches and techniques is

available, such as:

l design workshops (sometimes known as ‘charrettes’)

bringing a wide range of participants together to

explore design ideas for a particular area;

l action planning, community planning weekends

and Urban Design Action Teams (UDATs) involving

collaboration between local people and an invited

team of professionals (often over several days)

to explore design ideas for a particular area;

l Planning for Real which enables residents to use

a model of their area as a tool to help them

determine priorities for the future, with technical

experts available ‘on tap but not on top’;

l Future Search and Open Space, which are

techniques for groups of people (as few as five

or as many as 800, and over between one and

five days) to identify common interests, discuss

ideas, share information and experience, and

organise themselves into continuing working

groups focusing on specific topics.

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A drawing may communicate more easily than the writtenword in a collaborative event

Planning for Realhelps residentsdetermine theirown priorities

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Techniques

The techniques and equipment used in collaborative

events to generate ideas, develop and test options,

and take decisions are varied.

l Brainstorming sessions

l Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

(SWOT) or good/bad/ugly analysis

l Key word selection

l Interactive models

l Exhibitions

l Slides

l Overhead projectors

l Videos

l Sketching

l Photomontage

Organising a collaborative event

Organisers of collaborative events will need to ask

a lengthy series of questions.

l What are the objectives?

l How does the event relate to the continuing

processes of planning and design?

l Who are the relevant stakeholders?

l Who hosts the event and sends out the invitations?

l Who will organise the event?

l How long will the event last?

l What sort of venue should be used?

l What equipment or specialised services are

needed?

l What will be the cost of the event, preparation

and follow-up?

l Who will sponsor the event?

l Who will be invited?

l Who will write the brief or agenda?

l What preparatory work is needed?

l Who will be the facilitator?

l Will an independent facilitator be needed?

l What will be the role of any other professionals?

l Should any limitations be put on participating

professionals later accepting related consultancy

commissions?

l How will the participants be briefed?

l How will the event be presented to the media?

l What sort of report(s) and/or drawings will be

produced?

l How will the event be followed up?

l Who will take responsibility for taking the

initiative forward after the event?

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Residents making a site visit to collectinformation for a collaborativedevelopment brief

A model (this one is at Hackney BuildingExploratory) can provide an effectivefocus for discussion, particularly forpeople unused to reading plans

section 4 raising standards in urban design

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Example:Collaboration in brief-making, Twyford

500 different people, one in ten of the

population of Twyford in Berkshire, took part

in a project to prepare a development brief for

a site of great local importance.

The site

Twyford is a historic village which had no major

supermarket. The council, Wokingham District,

and traders feared a spiral of decline in shopping

facilities. Just behind the main street lay almost

two hectares of under-used land. The local plan

identified the site for mixed-use development,

and promised a development brief, but there

was a continuing threat that a developer would

bring forward a housing proposal.

An earlier consultation exercise had attempted

to establish a vision of the village’s future. This

persuaded the council to employ an independent

facilitator for the public participation, to show

that it was not using the exercise merely to

engineer support for its own favoured option

but to produce a brief supported by the

developer, community and local authority.

The council prepared a document defining the

objectives and planning requirements for the site,

without presenting ideas which might pre-empt

consideration of options. This brief, including

plans and elevations, was formally adopted by

the council, and then widely circulated.

Workshops

The first one-day workshop attracted 100 people.

It focused on the area’s problems, constraints

and opportunities and used elevations and

sections of the site at 1:200 scale, cardboard

templates of possible developments, familiar

buildings in the locality, parking arrangements

(from the county design guide) and turning

circles for vehicles. The second workshop

attracted 200 people. Its purpose was to develop

the ideas from the first workshop and explore

possible solutions. Participative techniques

included a questionnaire on responses to a set

of images of places, the selection of ‘key words’

describing Twyford, and the use of a 1:200

polystyrene model on which blocks of potential

buildings could be added or removed. Council

officers and the facilitator helped participants

express their ideas in the form of sketches.

The council’s urban design team then collated

the sketch proposals into a series of five options

which were displayed at a public exhibition,

at which visitors were asked to complete a

questionnaire. A final workshop refined the

questionnaire responses into a single scheme,

again making use of the polystyrene model.

The financial feasibility of the various options

was assessed using a computer model which

the council developed which was accessible by

anyone at the workshop. The council’s property

section also assessed commercial feasibility but

the landowners and developers who took part

in the workshops declined to do so.

A sense of ownership

The final preferred layout was presented to a

public meeting, attended by 180 people, following

a leaflet drop to all households in the village.

This attracted a number of people who had

not noticed any of the widespread publicity in

the village and felt aggrieved as a result. Generally

these people opposed any development of the site

whereas those who had attended the workshops

generally supported the recommended proposal.

The outcome

After protracted negotiations, including a planning

refusal on design grounds, a supermarket has

been built on the site rather than the mixed-

used scheme which was envisaged. It is considered

locally that although the process was carried

out effectively, this result stemmed from the

failure of the landowners and developers to

be fully committed to the outcome.

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Developing the right skills

The extent to which the planning process facilitates

good design depends on the skills, knowledge and

attitudes of the participants. At present, many of

these people lack the full range of skills and depth

of knowledge required.

It is especially important that town planners are

committed to good design and continue to refresh

their skills, particularly those involved in development

control. It is not enough for a local authority to

have a corporate commitment to high standards

of design and access to design expertise from staff

urban designers or consultants if those dealing

with planning applicants and applications are not

interested in design. In these circumstances, even

the best design policies, frameworks, guides and

briefs are likely to be ineffective.

Target groups for training

There is a wide range of people whose attitudes

to design helps to determine what will be built.

These include:

local authorities – not just planners, urban designers

and landscape architects, but elected members

who may be unfamiliar with planning and design;

administrators and technical staff in planning

departments (who all need at least a basic

understanding of the council’s commitment to

design); enforcement officers; highway engineers;

and housing managers;

the development sector – among others, developers;

surveyors; architects; planning and urban design

consultants; estate agents and managers; plan

drawers; builders (including volume house-builders);

and bankers and financiers. All influence the design

process and ultimately the quality of urban design,

though many of those involved in drawing up and

submitting planning applications may have little or

no design training;

those with specific interests – among others,

housing association staff; town centre managers;

regeneration agencies.

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The Liverpool Architecture and Design Trust aims tomake design part of every aspect of the city’s life.

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by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

Peace Gardens, Sheffield: at night

Example:

Sheffield’s Heart of the City Project

The centre of Sheffield is being

transformed through the ‘Heart of

the City’ project. New public spaces

have been created and life brought

back to the city centre. Concerns

about safety, traffic and the poor

quality of paving and planting have

been tackled through a multi-

disciplinary approach. The illustrated

Peace Gardens is now a focus for

visitors and residents and has been

a spur to private sector investment.

Peace Gardens, Sheffield:the transformation

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Design Initiatives

A wide range of initiatives has contributed to changing

attitudes to design and raising expectations in

particular places. These have frequently included

a wider range of people than those who are

professionally involved in the planning system,

including councillors and members of the public.

Initiatives such as the Birmingham Design Initiative

and the Kent Design Initiative have promoted high

standards of design through competitions, conferences

and other projects and have been the product of

collaboration between professional practices,

higher education, businesses and local authorities.

Urban forums have brought together a wide range

of people to consider design issues and collaboration

between local authorities has helped to share experience,

skills and resources. One example of the latter is the

Devon Environment Initiative through which the

planning authorities of Devon jointly published a

series of guidance notes on important design issues.

Other examples include local or regional design

awards (such as Hove Borough Council’s annual

awards for the best shopfronts); architectural

workshops (Newcastle Architectural Workshop

combined the roles of community technical aid

with environmental education); and information

networks (such as the Midlands Know How

Network which provided links between a wide

range of technical aid services in the region and

published a Know How Directory).

Design competitions

A design competition can help to ensure a high

standard of design for the development of an

important site, and it can focus public attention

on the proposal. The success of a competition

depends on having a clear brief, giving competitors

realistic expectations of what is on offer, and

ensuring that the process is well-conceived. The

RIBA can provide advice on holding competitions.

Architecture and planning

centres

An architecture and planning centre can become

the focus for promoting high standards of design

and development. It can provide information;

serve as a contact point for networks, skills and

professionals; present a city and its region to

residents and visitors; present best practice in

architecture, urban design and renewal from other

places; provide a focal point for communication and

collaboration between people and organisations,

at all scales from local to citywide.

This requires careful planning and committed backing.

There is no reason why the programmes and networks

of an architecture and planning centre should not

be developed before a building is found or created

to house the centre. Centres can draw on existing

environmental education and interpretation initiatives,

programmes of architectural tours, public consultation

and participation programmes, and information

services. They can complement the network of

existing support services such as planning aid and

community technical aid, which provide access to

advice and skills for people and organisations which

might otherwise have to do without. Examples of

such centres include the Architecture Foundation,

the Kent Architecture Centre and the Liverpool

Architecture and Design Trust.

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One of a series of hands-on exhibitsat Hackney Building Exploratory

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Monitoring and review

Design policy in development plans and supplementary

planning guidance should be monitored to check

how it is being used, and how developers and

planning applicants are responding to it. As a result

the guidance itself may need to be reviewed, or it

may be necessary to review its promotion,

marketing and the associated training.

The impact of policy and guidance should be assessed

by looking at completed buildings and schemes, and

the results of appeals, not just at the quality of

planning applications. This can involve members of

the planning committee, as well as council officers.

Meetings with local architects, designers, developers,

Police and interest groups can help to establish

how guidance is being received. Parish councils,

civic and amenity societies, and conservation and

design advisory panels may help in this process.

The impact of design policy and guidance may also

be monitored through a local authority’s quality

audit and awards schemes.

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Awards help to raise awareness of design

Example:

A quality audit, Westminster

An extract from Westminster City Council’s

publication reporting on the planning department’s

audit of its work:

The Development Division is undertaking a

continuing Quality Audit of its activities. The

audit has been devised to assess the handling

of a significant number of typical development

proposals to ensure that the outcomes comply

with relevant policy and have indeed been

enhanced by the intervention of officers through

their negotiations and recommendations.

The proposals illustrated range from simple

alterations and extensions to major developments;

from Town Scheme grants to the provision of

disabled access; and from enforcement to

environmental improvements. Quality can be

added to a scheme by the removal of bulk to

safeguard residential amenity; by the addition

of residential units to an all-office scheme; by

the reinstatement of historic townscape; by the

retention of a tree; by encouraging the highest

standards of new design; or by the restoration

of original features.

Most of these schemes have been carefully

negotiated and ultimately granted permission.

However, others were considered to be so

unacceptable that they were refused. These

refusals are in themselves qualitative acts, as a

refusal is a clear indication of an intention to

accept nothing other than high standards.

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Quality audits

The impact of design policy and guidance needs

to be constantly monitored so that they can be

reviewed and revised as necessary. Local authorities

conduct audits of their management of the design

and planning process in order to:

l satisfy Best Value and Citizen’s Charter objectives;

l assess the impact of the council’s actions at

every stage in the planning process;

l ensure that the council’s design policies are being

applied effectively and that SPG is being followed;

l contribute to the review of design policy and

guidance;

l learn from planning appeal decisions.

Quality audits can be carried out either by the

council’s own officers, by another local authority or

agency, or by consultants. A quality audit checklist

might set out the following details relating to a

particular planning application:

l the main issues raised by the development

proposal;

l the mechanisms used in guiding and processing

the development proposal, and how (and with

what success) they were applied;

l the relevant policies in the development plan,

and whether the development complied with

them when built.

Such an audit can also be an effective way of

communicating the council’s commitment to design

and explaining the planning process to non-specialists.

Other methods of assessing the impact of design

policy and guidance include:

l visits by council members and officers and

others to completed buildings and schemes;

l internal workshops;

l comments by a design advisory panel;

l design awards;

l views expressed by estate agents on commercial

viability and rates of lettings;

l views expressed by residents’ groups and amenity

societies on the impact of new development.

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section 1 The need for better urban design

APPENDICES

Checklists

Glossary

Further reading

Some useful contacts

Acknowledgements

Image credits

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CHECKLIST 1

Is design working for you?

This checklist can be used by local planning

authorities as the basis for selecting priorities.

Design policies (page 44)

l Does the development plan contain design

policies?

l Do the policies include general, area-specific

and topic-based design policies?

l Are the design policies expressed at the right

level of specificity?

Supplementary planning guidance (page 46)

l Is the development plan supported by

supplementary planning guidance:

– urban design frameworks?

– development briefs?

– design guides?

l Does the council need internal guidance notes

on preparing supplementary planning guidance?

Urban design frameworks (page 48)

l Does the council need urban design frameworks

as a means of creating confidence, unlocking

potential, managing change, providing a strategy

for implementation, and expressing design and

planning concepts and proposals in two- and

three-dimensions?

Development briefs (page 53)

l Does the council produce development briefs

as a means of implementing its design and

planning policies?

l Does the council produce development briefs

jointly with other organisations, where appropriate?

l Does the council set out its expectations for

any development briefs it does not prepare

itself, and the procedure for preparing them?

l Does the council have sufficient design expertise

to manage consultants effectively or to assess

the design element of a developer’s brief, in

cases where the council itself does not prepare

a development brief?

Design guides (page 57)

l Does the council need a more comprehensive

series of design guides?

l Are design guides prepared in collaboration with

all relevant departments of the local authority

(and other local authorities if appropriate) and

with other relevant organisations?

l Are the public and potential users consulted

effectively when design guides are being prepared?

l Are design guides sent out with planning

application forms?

l Do design guides have the status of

supplementary planning guidance?

l Does the council hold internal seminars

with elected members and officers to share

experience and ensure commitment to

implement the guides?

l Does the council hold seminars with potential

users of its design guides?

l Are design guides promoted through other

publications and visits to show how they can

lead to higher standards of design?

l Do staff have the necessary negotiation skills

to ensure that development complies with the

principles of the design guide?

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Design statements (page 66)

l Does the council insist on design statements

being submitted with planning applications, to

help in evaluating development proposals against its

own design policies and Government guidance?

l Does the council use design statements to

structure the design and planning process in

relation to sites which are not the subject of

development briefs?

Design assessments (page 67)

l Does the council commission independent

assessments of development proposals, where

it does not have adequate design skills itself

(in view of the scale or sensitivity of the

proposed development)?

Collaboration (page 73)

l Is the council making the most of collaboration

and public participation as a means of resolving

conflicts early in the design and development

process and avoiding unnecessary confrontation,

polarised attitudes and delay?

Skills (page 77)

l Does the Council employ staff with appropriate

design skills?

l Does the council have a training and education

programme to ensure that everyone involved in

design and planning has the necessary skills and

knowledge of design appropriate to their role?

Design initiatives (page 79)

l Is the council active in promoting awareness of

design, highlighting good practice and facilitating

joint working through design initiatives?

Quality audits (page 81)

l Does the council conduct quality audits to assess

how it is managing the design and planning

process, and the effectiveness of its design

policies and guidance?

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CHECKLIST 2

Information requirements for

a planning application

Adequate plans and drawings must be submitted

as part of a planning application, so that the design

can be properly assessed. They will be required for

the benefit of planners, councillors (on planning

and other committees), residents and amenity

groups, among others. The checklist sets out what

is likely to be required for full (as opposed to

outline) applications. Models and computer-based

representations are particularly useful in the case of

large scale or complex development proposals.

Location plan

l Scale 1:1250 preferably, and no smaller than

1:2500. Metric scales only.

l North point, date and number.

l Outline the application property, and indicate

any adjoining property owned or controlled

by the applicant.

l Show the application property in relation to

all adjoining properties and the immediate

surrounding area, including roads.

l Show vehicular access to a highway if the site

does not adjoin a highway.

Details of existing site layout

l Scale, typically 1:200.

l North point, date and number on plans.

l Show the whole property, including all buildings,

gardens, open spaces and car parking.

l Tree survey, where appropriate.

Details of proposed site layout

l Scale, typically 1:200.

l North point, date and number on plans.

l Show the siting of any new building or extension,

vehicular/pedestrian access, changes in levels,

landscape proposals, including trees to be removed,

new planting, new or altered boundary walls and

fences, and new hard-surfaced open spaces.

l Show proposals in the context of adjacent

buildings.

Floor plans

l Scale 1:50 or 1:100.

l In the case of an extension, show the floor

layout of the existing building to indicate the

relationship between the two, clearly indicating

what is new work.

l Show floor plans in the context of adjacent

buildings, where appropriate.

l In the case of minor applications it may be

appropriate to combine the layout and floor

plan (unless any demolition is involved).

l Include a roof plan where necessary to show

a complex roof or alterations to one.

Elevations

l Scale 1:50 or 1:100 (consistent with floor plans).

l Show every elevation of a new building or

extension.

l For an extension or alteration, clearly distinguish

existing and proposed elevations.

l Include details of materials and external

appearance.

l Show elevations in the context of adjacent

buildings, where appropriate.

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Cross sections

l Scale 1:50 or 1:100 (consistent with floor plans).

l Provide these if appropriate.

Design statement

Design statements submitted with planning

applications should:

l Explain the design principles and design

concept.

l Explain how the design relates to its wider

context (through a full context appraisal

where appropriate).

The written design statement should be illustrated,

as appropriate, by:

l Plans and elevations.

l Photographs of the site and its surroundings.

l Other illustrations, such as perspectives.

Other supporting material

l For example, retail, environmental or

transport assessments.

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GLOSSARY

This glossary is intended to providegeneral guidance, not authoritativedefinitions of terms which are sometimescontroversial or used with differentmeanings in different contexts.

Accessibility The ability of people to move round

an area and to reach places and facilities, including

elderly and disabled people, those with young children

and those encumbered with luggage or shopping.

Action planning Participation techniques, including

community planning weekends and Urban Design

Action Teams (UDATs), which enable local people

and invited teams of professionals to explore design

ideas for particular areas over one or several days.

Activity spine Street or streets along which activity

is concentrated.

Activity node Concentration of activity at a

particular point.

Adaptability The capacity of a building or space to

be changed so as to respond to changing social,

technological and economic conditions.

Area appraisal An assessment of an area’s land

uses, built and natural environment, and social and

physical characteristics.

Architecture and planning centre An institution

which provides a focus for a range of activities and

services (such as discussions, information,

exhibitions, collaboration and professional services)

relating to architecture and planning.

Brief This guide refers to site-specific briefs as

development briefs. Site-specific briefs are also

called a variety of other names, including design

briefs, planning briefs and development frameworks.

Building elements Doors, windows, cornices and

other features which contribute to the overall

design of a building.

Building envelope guidelines Diagram(s) with

dimensions showing the possible site and massing

of a building.

Building exploratory A centre for explaining,

interpreting and providing information on the built

environment.

Building line The line formed by the frontages of

buildings along a street. The building line can be

shown on a plan or section.

Bulk The combined effect of the arrangement,

volume and shape of a building or group of

buildings. Also called massing.

Character assessment An area appraisal identifying

distinguishing physical features and emphasising

historical and cultural associations.

Charrette An event (ranging from a couple of hours

to several days) which brings together a range of

people to discuss design issues. A charrette may

or may not use techniques of collaborative design.

Also known as a design workshop.

Conservation area character appraisal A published

document defining the special architectural or historic

interest which warranted the area being designated.

Context The setting of a site or area, including

factors such as traffic, activities and land uses as

well as landscape and built form.

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Context (or site and area) appraisal A detailed

analysis of the features of a site or area (including

land uses, built and natural environment, and social

and physical characteristics) which serves as the

basis for an urban design framework, development

brief, design guide or other policy or guidance.

Countryside design summary Supplementary

planning guidance prepared by a local authority to

encourage a more regionally and locally based

approach to design and planning.

Crime Pattern Analysis Carried out by the Police

and is available through liaison with the Architectural

Liaison Officer/Crime Prevention Design Adviser.

It comprises four components: crime series

identification, trend identification, ‘hot-spot’ analysis

and general profile analysis. This last aspect includes

an examination of demographic and social change

and its impact on criminality and law enforcement.

Defensible space Public and semi-public space that

is ‘defensible’ in the sense that it is surveyed,

demarcated or maintained by somebody. Derived

from Oscar Newman’s 1973 study of the same

name, and an important concept in securing public

safety in urban areas, defensible space is also

dependent upon the existence of escape routes

and the level of anonymity which can be

anticipated by the users of the space.

Density The floorspace of a building or buildings

or some other unit measure in relation to a given

area of land. Built density can be expressed in

terms of plot ratio (for commercial development);

number of units or habitable rooms per hectare

(for residential development); site coverage plus

the number of floors or a maximum building

height; or a combination of these.

Design advisory panel A group of people (often

architects) with specialist knowledge, which advises

a local authority on the design merits of planning

applications or other design issues. Also known as

an architects panel.

Design assessment An independent assessment of

a design usually carried out for a local authority

by consultants, another local authority or some

other agency.

Design guide A document providing guidance

on how development can be carried out in

accordance with the design policies of a local

authority or other organisation often with a view

to retaining local distinctiveness.

Design principle An expression of one of the basic

design ideas at the heart of an urban design framework,

design guide, development brief or a development.

Design standards Specific, usually quantifiable

measures of amenity and safety in residential areas.

Design statement (a) A pre-application design

statement is made by a developer to indicate the

design principles on which a development proposal

in progress is based. It enables the local authority

to give an initial response to the main issues raised

by the proposal. (b) A planning application design

statement sets out the design principles that the

planning applicant has adopted in relation to the

site and its wider context, as required by PPG1.

Design workshop see ‘charrette’.

Desire line An imaginary line linking facilities or

places which people would find it convenient to

travel between easily.

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Development brief A document, prepared by

a local planning authority, a developer, or jointly,

providing guidance on how a site of significant size

or sensitivity should be developed. Site-specific

briefs are sometimes known as planning briefs,

design briefs and development frameworks.

Development form See ‘form’.

Elevation The facade of a building, or the drawing

of a facade.

Enclosure The use of buildings to create a sense

of defined space.

Energy efficiency The extent to which the use of

energy is reduced through the way in which

buildings are constructed and arranged on site.

Feasibility The viability of development in relation

to economic and market conditions.

Fenestration The arrangement of windows

on a facade.

Figure and ground (or figure/ground, or Nolli)

diagram A plan showing the relationship between built

form and publicly accessible space (including streets)

by presenting the former in black and the latter as

a white background (or the other way round).

Form The layout (structure and urban grain), density,

scale (height and massing), appearance (materials

and details) and landscape of development.

Fruin analysis A method of analysing pedestrian

movement devised by Bernard Fruin. It applies a

‘level of service’ concept to pedestrian flows. Fruin

defined capacity and speeds of movement in

various forms of corridors, pavements and other

pedestrian routes.

Future Search A participation technique enabling

groups of people to identify common interests,

discuss ideas and share information and experience.

‘Open space’ is a similar technique.

Grain See ‘urban grain’.

Height The height of a building can be expressed

in terms of a maximum number of floors; a

maximum height of parapet or ridge; a maximum

overall height; any of these maximum heights in

combination with a maximum number of floors;

a ratio of building height to street or space width;

height relative to particular landmarks or

background buildings; or strategic views.

Human scale The use within development of elements

which relate well in size to an individual human

being and their assembly in a way which makes

people feel comfortable rather than overwhelmed.

In-curtilage parking Parking within a building’s site

boundary, rather than on a public street or space.

Independent design audit An assessment of a design,

carried out for a local authority by consultants,

another local authority or some other agency.

Indicative sketch A drawing of building forms

and spaces which is intended to convey the basic

elements of a possible design.

Landmark A building or structure that stands out

from its background by virtue of height, size or

some other aspect of design.

Landscape The character and appearance of land,

including its shape, form, ecology, natural features,

colours and elements and the way these components

combine. Landscape character can be expressed

through landscape appraisal, and maps or plans.

In towns ‘townscape’ describes the same concept.

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Layout The way buildings, routes and open spaces

are placed in relation to each other.

Layout structure The framework or hierarchy of routes

that connect in the local area and at wider scales.

Legibility The degree to which a place can be

easily understood and traversed.

Live edge Provided by a building or other feature

whose use is directly accessible from the street or space

which it faces; the opposite effect to a blank wall.

Local distinctiveness The positive features of a

place and its communities which contribute to its

special character and sense of place.

Lynchian analysis The widely used method of context

appraisal devised by the urban designer Kevin Lynch.

It focuses on gateways to an area, nodes,

landmarks, views and vistas, and edges and barriers.

Massing The combined effect of the height, bulk

and silhouette of a building or group of buildings.

Mixed uses A mix of uses within a building, on a

site or within a particular area. ‘Horizontal’ mixed

uses are side by side, usually in different buildings.

‘Vertical’ mixed uses are on different floors of the

same building.

Modal split How the total number of journeys in an

area or to a destination is split between different means

of transport, such as train, bus, car, walking and cycling.

Movement People and vehicles going to and passing

through buildings, places and spaces. The movement

network can be shown on plans, by space syntax

analysis, by highway designations, by figure and ground

diagrams, through data on origins and destinations

or pedestrian flows, by desire lines, by details of

public transport services, by walk bands or by

details of cycle routes.

Natural surveillance (or supervision) The

discouragement to wrong-doing by the presence

of passers-by or the ability of people to be seen

out of surrounding windows. Also known as

passive surveillance (or supervision).

Node A place where activity and routes are

concentrated often used as a synonym for junction.

Passive surveillance See ‘natural surveillance’.

Performance criterion (pl. criteria) A means of

assessing the extent to which a development

achieves a particular functional requirement (such as

maintaining privacy). This contrasts with a standard,

which specifies how a development is to be designed

(by setting out minimum distances between buildings,

for example). The art of urban design lies in

balancing principles which may conflict. Standards

may be too inflexible to be of use in achieving

a balance. Performance criteria, on the other hand,

make no prior assumptions about the means of

achieving a balance.

Permeability The degree to which an area has a variety

of pleasant, convenient and safe routes through it.

Perspective Illustration showing the view from

a particular point as it would be seen by the

human eye.

Placecheck A type of urban design audit advocated

by the Urban Design Alliance, based on the

Connected City approach. A local collaborative

alliance or partnership uses checklists to investigate

the connections in the built environment, in its

movement network and among the people who

shape it. The Placecheck becomes the first step in

a continuing collaborative process of urban design.

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Planning brief This guide refers to site-specific

briefs as development briefs. Other names, including

planning briefs, design briefs and development

frameworks are also used.

Planning for Real A participation technique

(pioneered by the Neighbourhood Initiatives

Foundation) that involves residents and others

with an interest coming together to make a model

of their area and using it to help them determine

their priorities for the future.

Planning Policy Guidance notes (PPGs)

Documents embodying Government guidance on

general and specific aspects of planning policy to

be taken into account in formulating development

plan policies and in making planning decisions.

Plot ratio A measurement of density generally

expressed as gross floor area divided by the net

site area.

Proactive development control Any process

by which a local authority works with potential

planning applicants to improve the quality of

development proposals as early as possible before

a planning application is submitted.

Public art Permanent or temporary physical works

of art visible to the general public, whether part of

the building or free-standing: can include sculpture,

lighting effects, street furniture, paving, railings and signs.

Public domain The parts of a village, town or city

(whether publicly or privately owned) that are

available, without charge, for everyone to use or

see, including streets, squares and parks. Also

called public realm.

Public/private interface The point at which public

areas and buildings meet private ones.

Public realm See ‘public domain’

Quality audit A review of its management of the

design and planning process by a local authority or

other organisation.

Scale The impression of a building when seen in

relation to its surroundings, or the size of parts of

a building or its details, particularly as experienced

in relation to the size of a person. Sometimes it is

the total dimensions of a building which give it its

sense of scale: at other times it is the size of the

elements and the way they are combined. The concept

is a difficult and ambiguous one: often the word is

used simply as a synonym for ‘size’. See ‘Human scale’.

Section Drawing showing a slice through a

building or site.

Settlement pattern The distinctive way that the

roads, paths and buildings are laid out in a

particular place.

Sight line The line of sight from a travelling vehicle

or person. Sight lines will help to determine how

fast vehicles are likely to move and how safe other

road users are likely to be.

Space syntax analysis A technique for analysing

movement through urban space and predicting the

amount of activity likely to result from that

movement.

Spine Street or streets along which activity is

concentrated.

Strategic view The line of sight from a particular

point to an important landmark or skyline.

Street furniture Structures in and adjacent to

the highway which contribute to the street scene,

such as bus shelters, litter bins, seating, lighting,

railings and signs.

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Success factor One of the characteristics of a

place (or places in general) that tends to make

it attractive to live in, work in, or visit. Success

factors can be expressed as design principles.

Surveillance The discouragement to wrong-doing

by the presence of passers-by or the ability of

people to be seen from surrounding windows.

Sustainable development Defined by the Brundtland

Commission (1987, and quoted in PPG1) as

‘Development which meets present needs without

compromising the ability of future generations to

achieve their own needs and aspirations’. The UK's

strategy for sustainable development “A better quality

of life” was published in May 1999 and highlights

the need for environmental improvement, social

justice and economic success to go hand-in-hand.

Tissue study Comparison of scale and layout of

different settlements. This technique makes use of

overprinting or tracing maps of successful places

over the proposed development site or area, at

the same scale. Its gives the designer a clue to the

capacity of a place and how it may be structured.

Topography A description or representation of

artificial or natural features on or of the ground.

Urban design The art of making places. Urban design

involves the design of buildings, groups of buildings,

spaces and landscapes, in villages, towns and cities,

and the establishment of frameworks and

processes which facilitate successful development.

Urban design framework A document which

informs the preparation of development plan

policies, or sets out in detail how they are to be

implemented in a particular area where there is a

need to control, guide and promote change. Area

development frameworks are also called a variety

of other names, including urban design strategies,

area development frameworks, spatial masterplans,

and planning and urban design frameworks.

Urban grain The pattern of the arrangement and

size of buildings and their plots in a settlement;

and the degree to which an area’s pattern of

street-blocks and street junctions is respectively

small and frequent, or large and infrequent.

Vernacular The way in which ordinary buildings

were built in a particular place, making use of local

styles, techniques and materials and responding to

local economic and social conditions.

View What is visible from a particular point.

Compare ‘Vista’.

Vista An enclosed view, usually a long and narrow one.

Visual clutter The uncoordinated arrangement of

street furniture, signs and other features.

Village appraisal A study identifying a local

community’s needs and priorities.

Village design statement An advisory document,

usually produced by a village community, suggesting

how development might be carried out in harmony

with the village and its setting. A village design

statement can be given weight by being approved

as supplementary planning guidance. The use of

village design statements is promoted by the

Countryside Agency.

Walk band A line on a map or plan showing the

furthest distance that can be walked from a

particular point at an average pace in a certain

time (usually five or ten minutes).

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FURTHER READING

Aldous, T. (1992) Urban Villages, London, Urban

Villages Group.

Alexander, C. et al, (1987) A New Theory of Urban

Design, New York, Oxford University.

Association of Chief Police Officers et al, (1999)

The Secured by Design Award Scheme.

Barton, B. Davis, G. Guise, R., (1995) Sustainable

Settlements: a guide for planners, designers and

developers, University of the West of England

and Local Government Management Board.

Bentley, I. et al (1985) Responsive Environments: a

manual for designers, London, Architectural Press.

Broadbent, G. (1990) Emerging Concepts in Urban

Design, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Civic Trust and English Historic Towns Forum

(1993) Traffic Measures in Historic Towns.

Clifford, S. and King, A. (1993) Local

Distinctiveness: place, particularity and identity,

London, Common Ground.

Countryside Commission and English Nature

(1996) The character of England: landscape, wildlife

and natural features.

Coupland, A. (1997) Reclaiming the City: mixed-use

development, London, Chapman & Hall.

Cowan, R. (1997) The Connected City, London,

Urban Initiatives.

Davis, C. J., Royal Fine Art Commission (1997)

Improving Design in the High Street, London,

Architectural Press.

Department of the Environment (1994) Vital and

Viable Town Centres: meeting the challenge, HMSO.

Department of the Environment and Department

of Transport (1995) PPG13: a guide to better

practice, HMSO.

DETR (1998) Places, Streets and Movement:

a companion guide to Design Bulletin 32.

DETR (1998) Planning and Development Briefs:

a guide to better practice.

DETR (1998) Planning for Sustainable Development:

towards better practice.

Duany, A. and Plater-Zyberk, E. (1991) Towns

and Town-Making Principles, New York, Rizzoli

International Publications.

English Heritage (1997) Conservation Area Appraisals.

English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation

(2000) Urban Design Compendium.

Gehl, J. (1996) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space,

Copenhagen, Arkitektens Forlag.

Greed, C. and Roberts, M. (eds.) (1998) Introducing

Urban Design: interventions and responses,

Harlow, Longman.

Hall, A. C. (1996) Design Control: towards a new

approach, Oxford, Butterworth Architecture.

Hillier, B. (1996) Space is the Machine:

a configurational theory of architecture, Cambridge,

Cambridge University Press.

Jacobs, A. (1993) Great Streets, Massachusetts,

MIT Press.

Hayward, R. and McGlynn, S. (eds.) (1993) Making

Better Places: urban design now, Oxford, Joint

Centre for Urban Design.

Katz, P. (1994) The New Urbanism: towards an

architecture of community, New York, McGraw-Hill.

Kostof, Spiro (1991) The City Shaped: urban patterns

and meaning throughout history, London, Bullfinch.

Kostof, Spiro (1992) The City Assembled: the elements

of urban form through history, Boston, Bullfinch.

Landry, C. and Bianchini, F. (1995) The Creative City,

London, Demos in association with Comedia.

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Littlefair, P. J. (1991) Site Layout Planning for Daylight

and Sunlight: a guide to good practice, London,

Building Research Establishment Report.

Lynch, K. (1984) Good City Form, Massachusetts,

MIT Press.

Lynch, K. (1990) The Image of the City,

Massachusetts, MIT Press.

Moughtin, C. (1992) Urban Design: street and

square, Oxford, Butterworth Architecture.

Punter, J. and Carmona, M. (1997) The Design

Dimension of Planning: theory, content and best

practice for design policies, London, E & FN Spon.

Sennett, R. (1990) The Conscience of the Eye: the

design and social life of cities, London, Faber & Faber.

The Prince’s Foundation (2000) Planning by Design

not Default.

Tibbalds, F. (1992) Making People-Friendly Towns:

improving the public environment in towns and cities,

London, Longman Press.

Tugnutt, A. Robertson, M. (1987) Making

Townscape: a contextual approach to building in

an urban setting, London, Mitchell Publishing.

Urban Task Force (1999) Towards an Urban

Renaissance, DETR.

Wates, N. (1996) Action Planning, London, Prince

of Wales’s Institute of Architecture.

Wates, N. (2000) The Community Planning

Handbook, Earthscan.

Worpole, K., Greenhalgh, L. (1996) The Freedom

of the City, London, Demos.

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SOME USEFULCONTACTS

Architecture Centres (forming the

Architecture Centre Network):

CUBE

117 Portland Street

Manchester M1 6FB

Tel: 0161 237 5525

Fax: 0161 236 5815

Hackney Building Exploratory

The Professional Development Centre

Albion Drive

London EB 4ET

Tel/Fax: 020 7275 8555

Liverpool Architecture and Design Trust

16 Vernon Street

Liverpool L2

Tel: 0151 233 4079

Fax: 0151 233 4078

Northern Architecture

Blackfriars

Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 4XN

Tel/Fax: 0191 260 2191

Kent Architecture Centre

Chatham Historic Dockyard

Chatham ME4 4TE

Tel: 01634 401166

Fax: 01634 403302

RIBA Architecture Gallery

Portland Place

London SW1P 3NQ

Tel: 020 7307 3699

Fax: 020 7307 3703

RIBA Eastern Region Architecture Centre

Lumley Architects

37 Tunwells Lane

Cambridge CB2 5LJ

Tel: 01223 509 183

Fax: 01223 509 185

The Architecture Centre

Narrow Quay

Bristol BS1 4QA

Tel: 0117 922 1540

Fax: 0117 922 1541

Association of Chief Police Officers

Crime Prevention Initiatives

Deputy Company Secretery

25 Victoria Street

London SW1H 0EX

Tel: 020 7227 3434

Fax: 020 7227 3400

www.securedbydesign.com

Building Research Establishment

Tel: 01923 664 000

Email: [email protected]

Civic Trust

17 Carlton House Terrace

London SW1Y 5AW

Tel: 020 7930 0914

Fax: 020 7321 0180

Countryside Agency

John Dower House

Crescent Place

Cheltenham

Gloucestershire GL50 3RA

Tel: 01242 521 381

Fax: 01242 584 270

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English Heritage

Customer Services

PO Box 9019

London W1A OJA

Tel: 020 7973 3434

English Historic Towns Forum

PO Box 22

Frenchay

Bristol BS16 1RZ

Tel: 0117 975 0459

Fax: 0117 975 0460

English Nature

Northminster House

Peterborough PE1 1UA

Tel: 01733 455 000

Fax: 01733 568 834

Email: [email protected]

Institution of Civil Engineers

1 Great George Street

Westminster

London SW1P 3AA

Tel: 020 7222 7722

Fax: 020 7222 7500

Landscape Institute

6-8 Barnard Mews

London W1N 4AD

Tel: 020 7738 9166

Fax: 020 7738 9134

Email: [email protected]

Local Government Association

Local Government House

Smith Square

London SW1P 3HZ

Tel: 020 7664 3000

Fax: 020 7664 3030

Email: [email protected]

National Disability Council

Level 4A

Caxton House

Tothill Street

London SW1H 9NA

Tel: 0207 273 5636

Fax: 0207 273 5929

Royal Institute of British Architects

66 Portland Place

London W1N 4AD

Tel: 020 7307 3677

Fax: 020 7230 2379

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

12 Great George Street

Parliament Square

London SW1P 3AD

Tel: 020 7334 3751

Fax: 020 7334 3795

Email: [email protected]

Royal Town Planning Institute

26 Portland Place

London W1N 4BE

Tel: 020 7636 9107

Fax: 020 7323 1582

Email: [email protected]

Urban Design Group

6 Ashbrook Courtyard

Westbrook Street

Blewbury

Oxon OX11 9QA

Tel: 01235 851 415

Fax: 01235 851 410

Email: [email protected]

Urban Villages Forum

70-77 Cowcross Street

London

EC1M 6BP

97

appendices some useful contacts

Page 98: By Design.pdf

OWLED

This guide is based on work by a team of

consultants led by Kelvin Campbell of Urban

Initiatives and Robert Cowan. The project team

was drawn from Urban Initiatives and specialist

advice was provided by Paul Murrain, John Punter,

Jim Redwood, Les Sparks and Kim Wilkie.

The published guide has been prepared by the

Department of the Environment, Transport and

the Regions in partnership with the Commission

for Architecture and the Built Environment.

The Department, Commission and consultants

wish to thank all those who contributed to the

development of this guide, including the assistance

provided by members of the project’s sounding

board and the Urban Design Alliance. 98

by design urban design in the planning system: towards better practice

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Page 99: By Design.pdf

IMAGE CREDITS

Barton Willmore Partnership, p54 (right)

Bill Hopper Design Ltd, p68

Birmingham City Council, p20, 21, 52 (top)

BrindleyPlace Plc, p27 (left), 32 (bottom left)

Bristol City Council, p17, 43

Bristol City Council Planning Department, BristolCity Centre Draft Local Plan, p48 (bottom)

Corporation of London, p45 (bottom)

Countryside Agency, front cover (bottom left),p19 (top)

Crown Regeneration, Glasgow, p12, 33

Duchy of Cornwall, p23

ECD Architects, p24

EDAW, p50

Image Visual Communications, p73

Kingston-upon-Hull City Council, p48 (example), 69

Leicester City Council, p64

Manhattan Loft Corporation, p31 (top left)

Mendip District Council, p52 (bottom)

Moss Side and Hulme Partnership, p63

Profile Photo Agency, p34, 69

RIBA, p29 (bottom right), 30 (top) 31 (bottom left)

Robert Cowan, p75 (both images), 77, 79

Roger Evans Associates, p49

Sheffield Design and Property, p4, 26, 29 (top),78 (example), 82

Space Syntax Laboratory, p38

Urban Task Force, Towards an Urban Renaissance, p9

Westminster City Council, p80 (example)

All other images have been provided byUrban Initiatives.

99

appendices image credits